Longhuyan Temple

TAIWAN, Tainan

The temple was built in Longhu village in 1665 by General Chen Yonghua, and Master Canche was later invited to reside there as abbot. It subsequently underwent a number of restorations and expansions.
The principal buildings are the front hall, Great Hero Hall, rear hall, and Dharma Hall. The three-bay wide front hall was rebuilt in 1976 and has a double-eave hip-and-gable roof covered with yellow glazed tiles. There are decorative bracket sets below the upper eaves. Drum-shape stones and dragon columns flank the entrance. The walls are filled with stone carvings. A stone statue of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva is enshrined within the hall.
The three-bay wide rear hall has an overhanging gable roof. There is a small pagoda erected in the middle of the roof ridge, flanked by two dragons. There are also dragons on the sloped ridges. A three-by-one bay portico incorporates Western architectural elements. The bays are separated by pairs of round columns, which support the arches. At the top of the portico there is a decorated parapet separated by short square columns. The central section is in the form of a pediment. The parapet and pediment are decorated with reliefs and inlaid with rubies.