Wen Chang Temple

Address : 41, Chang Ping 2nd Rd.
Tel: (04) 2422-5845
Getting there : Take Ren You bus 105 and get off at Si Zhang Li village
Open hours: 6:30 am-8 pm
Wen Chang Temple was built during the fifth year of Dao Guang's reign during the Qing dynasty. Around 1825, official Zeng Yu Yin and his friends established two clubs, named Wen She and Wen Bing, which raised money to build the temple. The total temple area is 1,900 pings and its purpose is to worship the "Scholar god". Students often worship this god prior to an exam in hopes of getting good grades. There are two Wen Chang temples in Taichung, one in Beitun district and the other in Nantun. The main entrances of both temples face south, in accordance with basic Feng Shui principles. The temples are primarily constructed of granite, which was also formed into stone tablets, sometimes in shape of a drum, for the purpose of engraving records of important events. The two bottle-shaped side doors, which both lead into the main hall, are worth looking at. Perhaps the finest feature of the temple are the many cute animal figurines that surround Wu Qu Pond and bring a lively atmosphere to this ancient temple.

Le Cheng Temple

Address: 48, HanXi St., HanXi Village, East District
Tel: (04) 2211-1928
Getting there: (By car) Go from the Taichung train station to Xi-You Rd. and turn right. Go to the HanXi River, turn right onto HanXi West Rd. and continue until you see HanXi St., where you turn left.
(By bus) Take the city "High Bus" yellow line from either Chao-Ma, Liming Xin-Cun, or Le-Cheng Park stops. Get off at the Le-Ye Rd stop.
Open hours: 6:30 am-10 pm
Le Cheng Temple is more commoly known as the HanXi Mazu Temple and is located on the eastern side of the city next to a tributary of Dali River. The ancestors of Lin Da-Fa invited the spint of Mazu to come to Taiwan through Mei-Zhou of China's Fujian province. The spirit of Mazu went to HanXi village and chose that site for the temple. The temple is over 200 years old and, as is its incense cauldron. The well-crafted holy table, stone-made artifacts, and sapphirine stone lions are all witness to Le Cheng Temple's many years of history.

Ji Shan Lou

Address: 163, XingAn Rd., sec. 1, Beitun District
Getting there: By car, get off the Rt. 1 Freeway at the ZhongQing Rd. exit. Head downtown WenXin Rd. and turn left. Continue to XingAn Rd. and turn right
Open 24 hours/day.
Information: Taichung City Tourism Office: (04) 2228-9111, ext. 1651~1652
Ji Shan Lou was built during the late Qing dynasty period in 1897. Lai Chang Rong moved from Tou Zhang to what is known today as Er Fen Pu, into a mud-brick house. In 1924, Lai's descendant, Lai Chong Ren, built another home south of the original dwelling upon advice from a Feng Shui master. The new home helped his business prosper and he named it "Ji Shan Lou". Ji Shan Lou was built by a famous construction company from Tang Shan and no expense was spared. Its structure is extremely sturdy and, today, it is easy to see the care and effort put into the construction. The columns and posts were made with Chinese fir from Fujian province. The roof eaves are "dove-tailed" and use convex-shaped shingles. Murals of grass and flowers, mirrors, and beautifully-sculpted columns fill Ji Shan Lou. Behind the house are also five old banyan trees, whose roots are entangled and keep the house well shaded. Sitting quietly here is a peaceful experience for visitors.