Lingquan Temple

TAIWAN, Keelung

The temple is located on Yuemeishan (Crescent Eyebrow Mountain) in the eastern suburbs of Keelung, Taiwan. The temple was constructed between 1901 and 1903 by monks Shanzhi, Miaomi, and Shanhui from Yongquan Temple in Fujian. The temple was one of the Four Major Temples in Taiwan during the Japanese rule (1895–1945).
The principal buildings include the main temple gate, the Heavenly King Hall, the Old Great Hero Hall, the founder’s hall, the three Lingquan Pagodas, the Hall of the Enlightened Emperor, and the Jade Buddha Hall. The Old Great Hero Hall, the founder’s hall and the three Lingquan Pagodas are regarded as historical assets of Keelung.
The main temple gate has a single-eave hip-and-gable roof covered with yellow glazed tiles. There is an inward-facing sculpted guardian lion on either side of the gate. A pavilion-like structure to the left of the gate commemorates the founding of the temple. The three-bay wide Old Great Hero Hall has a roof whose ridge ends in swallowtails. The hall houses statues of the Sakyamuni Buddha Triad sculpted by Lin Qifeng. The founder’s hall was built in 1920 and is a two-story Western-style brick building. The three Lingquan Pagodas, completed in 1917, share a common base. The pagodas are named Square Pagoda, East Throne, and West Lotus Platform.