【Introduction】
The Temple of the North Pole Lord (Beiji Temple) is alternatively known as Chenwu Temple or Shangdi Temple. Built between the 15th to the 23rd year of Yongli reign, Ming Dynasty (1661-1669), it is primarily dedicated to the worship of Xuan We, the Lord of the Mysterious Heavens. The temple underwent its first renovation in 1685 (the 24th year of Kangxi reign, Qing Dynasty). In 1709, the temple’s foundation was raised. A rear hall was added in 1835 (the 15th year of Daoguang reign), setting the temple’s current layout. In 1854, the temple was renamed the Temple of the North Pole Lord.
The temple is a three-bay structure with three halls and two angled wings, the front hall was rebuilt as a concrete and steel reinforced structure with columns and beams to widen it for the use of roads. The main hall contains a pavilion for worship in the front and a corridor under the eaves with a round-ridge roof on the rear. The primary deity of the main hall is the Lord of Mysterious Heavens, who is depicted as standing on a turtle and a snake. The hall is built employing a traditional Deidou (piling-up wood bracket blocks) timber frame in an expansive layout. The rear hall adopts another traditional Chuangdou timber frame, a column-and-tie structure, with a comprehensive shape and format. It is dedicated to the Bodhisattva Guanyin who is accompanied by Sudhanakumara, or the Child of Wealth, the Dragon Daughter, and the 18 Arhats. The rear hall has a separate pavilion for worship and connects with the two wings through the “dragon” (the left side) and “tiger” (the right side) courtyards. Black is the primary color of the architecture. In addition to the black columns, the temple also features paintings of ascending golden dragons on black backgrounds by renowned painter, Pan Lishui of the Prefecture City. A wealth of artifacts are preserved in the hall, including an inscription tablet donated by Shu Shugui, the Prince of Ningjing, in 1669. It features the inscription, “Mighty Manifestations; Prominent and Vivacious”. As the oldest existing inscription tablet in Taiwan, it is of immense historical value.