Zhai Ming Temple

TAIWAN, Taoyuan

It is said that during the rule of Emperor Daoguang (reigned 1821–1850) of the Qing dynasty, a farmer by the name of Li Ajia, a devout Buddhist, traveled to Fayu Temple on Putuoshan to be ordained as a monk. When he returned to Taoyuan in Taiwan with a statue of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, he built a hermitage to enshrine the statue. In 1873 it was upgraded to a temple with the construction of a brick and tile building. It was expanded in 1911 and in 1937 it became a Japanese Soto Zen temple. The temple was placed under the administration of Dharma Drum Mountain in 1999. It is listed as a Provincial Historic Monument.
The southwest-facing temple initially had a three-sided courtyard layout consisting of the main hall with two wings and was subsequently expanded with two additional wings. The main hall is built with a three-layer flush gable roof where the center eave is higher than the sides. The main ridge is decorated with mosaic floral designs and the ridge ends sweep upwards to form swallowtails. The hall houses a statue of the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva flanked by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and Maudgalyayana. There are two Japanese-style stone lanterns in the courtyard in front of the main hall.