Changhua Travel: Husheng Temple ~ A Dazzling Shrine of Glass

Travel Date: 2023/07/16

We were staying in Yunlin for the weekend, but early Sunday morning, my parents-in-law had to go somewhere, so we decided to head back home as well. However, I had the idea to make a stop in Changhua to revisit two temples we had explored a few years ago: the Shell Temple and the Glass Temple. Fortunately, they were located close to each other, just a few minutes' drive away.

It's not our first time in this place. We visited the temple 5 years ago.

~ ~ ~

My husband mentioned that he wasn't feeling too well, probably just overheated, and wanted to stay indoors. He waited for me at the Glass Gallery while Adrian and I took a walk around the glass temple. There is a quite large car parking area behind the glass gallery, so driving there was not a problem. In the surrounding area, you can also visit other places such as the Ribbon Museum or Brand's Health Museum. Additionally, Lukang Ton is not far away, where you can explore the old street and try the delicious foods of Changhua.

Unfortunately, my husband's health worsened, and we had to end our trip there. Later, after returning home, we found out that he had contracted COVID-19 and was unwell for the next 2 days...

See also: Lukang Old Street

See also: Shell Temple in Changhua

Glass Temple - Husheng Temple (玻璃媽祖廟 - 台灣護聖宮)

The Glass Mazu Temple is located in Changhua Coastal Industrial Park in Lukang and it belongs to the Taiwan Glass, a prominent glass manufacturing company. The Temple showcases the beauty of Taiwan's glass art. In front of the temple, you can see numerous colorful glass balls covering the ground. We also visited the glass gallery, which was filled with beautifully crafted sculptures. It's definitely worth a visit.

The construction of the temple began in 2007 and was completed on March 31, 2012. The Temple was inspired by appearance of Lukang Tianhou Temple during the Qing Dynasty. 

The chairman of Taiwan Glass, Lin Zhao-sui, who has a background in both glass expertise and religious beliefs, was the driving force behind the construction. The project involved a team of architects, designers, artists, scholars, and over 130 glass industry companies who collaborated to create this unique and stunning glass temple.

It combines the glass industry with folk religion. During the day, sunlight shines through the glass, creating a bright and transparent space with infinite beauty. At night, the temple is adorned with over 100,000 LED lights, creating a dazzling and magnificent sight. It's not just a decorative temple, you can still use incense to pray, and there is a table for offerings. 

The temple's main structure is made of steel, and the outer walls are made of curtain glass, which can withstand strong winds of up to level 17 and earthquakes up to level 8. The "swallowtail" part of the roof is also made of glass, demonstrating smooth curves and an impressive posture that seems to reach into the sky. The main structure of the temple is composed of at least 70,000 pieces of glass. 

The temple's entrance gate is made of two layers of reinforced glass, making it comparable to bulletproof glass. The door gods are intricately carved glass sculptures, and other glass carvings include patterns of fiddler crabs, sea cows, and other elements of Taiwan's local culture.

Inside the temple, there are glass carvings of "Dragon Soaring over Sun Moon Lake" on the right side and "Tiger Leaping over Alishan" on the left side, corresponding to the "Dragon Gate" and "Tiger Gate" respectively. The dragons on the two pillars in front of the temple are made of over a thousand bright mirrors, breaking away from the traditional practice of stone carving or painted wood pillars in temples.

There are 160 dragon heads on the ceiling, along with phoenixes on both sides. All of these decorations were handcrafted by artists from Lukang.

The glass behind the altar was handmade by local artists and took two years to complete.

During the daytime, the temple looks beautiful, but its real beauty shines at night when it is illuminated with colorful lights. Although we didn't stay for long, a friendly temple guard shared some pictures with me. 

Inside of temple you can see a water pool where people would through coins for a good luck. The sunlight coming through walls and roof makes it look majestic.

Entrance: Free

Opening Hours:

April to September: 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM

October to March: 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM

Parking Lot: Taiwan Glass Gallery Parking Lot

The "Taiwan Glass Pavilion," established by Taiwan Glass Corporation, provides a venue for Taiwanese local artists to exhibit their artworks free of charge. Besides showcasing glass art, it presents a creative and dazzling experience to the general public with the concept of "Brilliance from All Sides, Surprises in Every Direction." The pavilion adopts an entertaining and educational approach, allowing visitors to have a "zero-distance alternative encounter" with glass. It breaks the traditional stereotypes of the glass industry, offering a refreshing perspective and deepening the public's understanding of the transparent and exquisite world of glass. 

Address:

彰化縣鹿港鎮鹿工南四路28號

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Changhua Travel: Exploring Sanqing Sanyuan Palace ~ Shell Temple in Taiwan

Travel Date: 2023/07/16

We were staying in Yunlin for the weekend, but early Sunday morning, my parents-in-law had to go somewhere, so we decided to head back home as well. However, I had the idea to make a stop in Changhua to revisit two temples we had explored a few years ago: the Shell Temple and the Glass Temple. Fortunately, they were located close to each other, just a few minutes' drive away.

It's not our first time in this place. We visited the temple 4 years ago.

~ ~ ~

We reached the Shell Temple first. Initially, the small road leading to the temple was easy to overlook. Once we arrived, we noticed a cemetery nearby, and the parking area was right there. From the outside, the temple might not seem very attractive, but its interior was quite impressive. It felt like nothing had changed since the last time we were here, except that on that previous visit, we were accompanied by friends who no longer live in Taiwan. Over the past two years, some of our friends had moved away, and later, I myself moved 200km away, leaving me with only one friend. So, once again, I find myself as the lonely girl, haha.

The weather this time was really good, allowing me to take better pictures of the surroundings. Inside the temple, everything remained the same - there was a peaceful pond with fish and a shop selling shells and decorations made from them. Except for us, there were no other visitors (just like last time), making it seem like a rather unpopular place.

Sanqing Sanyuan Palace Shell Temple (三清三元宫贝壳庙) 

Sanqing Sanyuan Palace Shell Temple was built by Huang Qichun, who was born into a poor family. He attended school in the countryside for one year but dropped out at the age of 12 to work as a laborer. At 16, he became an apprentice in an ironworks and learned the skill of making kitchen knives. After his unsuccessful entrepreneurial ventures, he started selling vegetables in Taipei. 

In the 1970s, Huang bought land near the Xiucuo Public Cemetery in Fuxing Township, Taiwan, to raise tropical fish. Despite warnings from friends about the unfavorable feng shui of the land, he persisted and reclaimed the land with his wife, Huang Lixiao. 

Huang Qichun often dreamed of spiritual phenomena after moving to this place. He dreamt of a stone-covered temple adorned with shells and similar decorations. Inspired by the dreams, he decided to build a temple on the remaining land after the fishponds were constructed.

Huang collected various seashells like conch, snail, and abalone, as well as stones from Sihou Li in Hengchun Town. He skillfully arranged the shells and stones using iron wires, pouring cement over them to create the unique temple design. Huang personally worked on the temple's walls, gates, and fences, embedding them with seashells. The walls, except for the pillars, roofs, and entrance gates, were all handmade and decorated with shells. 

Local villagers were initially surprised by Huang's temple construction, but they eventually got used to it. They called him "Guai Chun" (strange Chun) and referred to the temple as the "Beikemo Temple." Despite facing challenges due to the agricultural and fish farming nature of the land, Huang continued his temple construction, and by 1996, the temple was mostly completed.

As Huang Qichun's son grew older, he also helped with farming, allowing his father more time to focus on building the temple, which was eventually completed in late January 1997.

The temple features a square-shaped structure with a decorative roof depicting dragons and phoenixes. Inside, there are various sections, including the main hall, dragon palace tunnel, tropical fish farming area, and an art section. Inside the temple, various seashell artworks, including miniature models of Lukang Mazu Temple and Kirin, are displayed. One notable piece is a 2-meter tall, 3-meter long "Millennium Seashell Dragon," created to celebrate the Millennium Dragon Year.

Due to the land being a farmland, it was impossible to obtain temple registration.

By 2001, the temple has gained fame, attracting many visitors, and Huang often volunteered to guide large tour buses that arrived at the limited parking space near the temple.

See also: Fufudingshan Shell Temple

See also: Glass Mazu Temple

 

Address:

506彰化縣福興鄉振興巷10-1號三清三元宮貝殼廟

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Taitung Travel: Nanrenshi, Sanxiantai and Wild Monkeys

2022/07/19-20

We attended the Hot Air Balloon Festival in Taitung after convincing my husband to go. We stayed in Taitung for only two days, primarily for the festival, but we also had the opportunity to visit other places. We attended the festival twice, once at night and once during sunrise. Unfortunately, the wind was too strong at night, resulting in fewer balloons being launched.

Additionally, we visited the Beinan Site and Longtian Village, which have many remnants from the Japanese era. We also made a stop in Hualien, specifically at a Japanese-era shrine. Lately, I've developed an obsession with Japanese buildings and shrines, even though I never had a desire to visit Japan. Perhaps I've become a bit bored with Taiwan and its architecture.

On our drive back along the coast road, we visited Nanrenshi, Sanxiantai, and even had the chance to see wild monkeys and the Amis Folk Center.

During our trip, my husband had a job interview with another company. He stayed in the car while I explored Beinan. Unfortunately, his interview was rescheduled and slightly disrupted our travel plans, as it was supposed to take place before we arrived in Taitung. Nonetheless, he managed to complete it. However, the signal in our accommodation wasn't strong enough for him to stay there, so he had to go to the nearby park.

We also had to shorten our trip because he had a second round of interviews. Wish him good luck anyway!

~ ~ ~ ~

After enjoying the Hot Air Balloon Festival in the morning, we drove along the mountain road up north, eventually reaching Yuli in Hualien to visit the remains of a Japanese shrine. Later, we took road no30, which led us to the coast. Along the coast, there are several interesting places to visit, such as Nanrenshi (Man's Stone), Sanxiantai, wild monkeys in Donghe, Torik Shrine, the Amis culture center, and "Water going upward." We had seen most of these places three years ago, but it was nice to revisit them. The heatwave across Taiwan made the sun scorching hot, and by the afternoon, I didn't feel like traveling anymore. All I dreamed about was getting into an air-conditioned space. We only took a break at noon to find some lunch, and in the afternoon, we met my husband's uncle for dinner. It was an opportunity to try some aboriginal cuisine, which I had always wanted to taste because it's not easy to find those dishes in western Taiwan.

See also: Hot Air Balloon Festival

See also: remains of Japanese shrine

See also: Amis culture center

Nanrenshi / Man's Stone (男人石)

The Man's Stone is an isolated limestone sea erosion column, standing approximately 35 meters tall at its highest point. It serves as evidence of the early seismic site's relative uplift movement and shares similarities with the sea steps near the "stone umbrella" (石雨傘). The Amis people, who immigrated earlier, referred to the Man's Stone as "kotid ni malataw," which means "the glans of the gods," evoking a sense of awe. Another story calls the Man's Stone "fasonihar," where "fasiaw" means "a kite," and "fasonihar" refers to "a place to tie a kite." The Man's Stone is located approximately 25 kilometers north of Baxiandong and 6 kilometers south of Sanxiantai. The similar geographical positions have given rise to various legends. According to one legend, the Sendai tryst, where Lu Dongbin met his lover, took place here. In anger, Lu Dongbin swung his sword and slashed the pair, turning Baxiandong Cave into the woman and the Man's Stone into the man. Subsequently, a temple was built around the Man's Stone with nine stone-carved phalluses surrounding it. The Man's Stone has now become a trail with prescribed methods of making wishes and offering prayers. Apart from seeking marriage and children, visitors can also pray for wealth, career, and health. It stands as a unique religious and cultural attraction.

Sanxiantai (三仙台) 

Sanxiantai is a well-known tourist attraction in Taitung County, comprising a small offshore island, a coral reef coast, and a gravel coast. Covering an area of approximately 22 hectares, it takes about one hour to visit. Due to minimal human disturbance, it is also an important base for studying coastal plant ecology and is listed as a nature reserve. In the Ami language, "nuwalian" means "the most eastern place," while "Pisirian" signifies "the land of the shepherd." The highest point, standing at around 77 meters above sea level, belongs to the volcanic agglomerate of Tuoshan Mountain. Over the years, through weathering and seawater erosion, various unique sea-eroded landforms have formed, including sea-eroded columns, potholes, and tunnel-type sea-eroded gates. The northern end of the island features numerous potholes, with the largest having a diameter of 5 meters and a depth of 4 meters. On the northeast coast, there is a tunnel-type sea-eroded gate known as Acacia Cave, measuring 58 meters in length, 3 meters in width, and 3 meters in height.

Both the Han people and the local Ami people have their own legends about Sanxiantai. According to one legend, the "Eight Immortals" - Li Tiezhu, Lu Dongbin, and He Xiangu - once stopped on the island, leaving behind three immortals in the mountains, hence the name Sanxiantai. The Ami people tell the story of Sanxiantai being protected by the patron saint "Wu'an." The Sanxiantai Lighthouse is located on the second peak of the island and requires climbing 287 stone steps from the base. To facilitate tourist access to the island, an eight-arch cross-sea pedestrian bridge was constructed in 1987. Its beautiful shape has made it a local landmark.

Wild monkeys in Donghe

Traveling from Donghe Bridge along the Dongfu Highway into the coastal mountains, one arrives at the famous Taiyuan Valley. Surrounded by mountains and sculpted by rivers, it features canyon terrain and serves as a paradise for Taiwanese macaques. Monkeys can often be seen in the woods or approaching tourists to seek food, creating a unique scenery. It is the best place in Taitung to observe monkeys, adding more charm to the journey. It is recommended to visit in the morning or afternoon (after 4 PM) during the summer days, as monkeys do not fare well in the heat and tend to stay hidden. When we arrived at 2:30 PM, it was initially empty, but just as we were about to leave, we spotted two monkeys.

Address:

1. Nanrenshi / Man's Stone: 961台東縣成功鎮石傘路男人石
2. Snaxiantai: 961台東縣成功鎮基翬路74號
3. Monkeys: 959台東縣東河鄉東富公路登仙橋遊憩區

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