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The construction of the Temple began in 1729 (the 7th year of Emperor Yongzheng), and in 1742 (the 7th year of Emperor Qianlong), merchants and residents from eastern Guangdong made donations to fund the construction. The Three Mountains refer to Mt. Du, Mt. Jin, and Mt. Ming in the Chaozhou area of Guangdong Province. The three mountain deities are seen as the protectors of Chaozhou and of the people who migrated to Taiwan. Because of their repeated miracles, Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty issued an imperial decree to recognize the outstanding merits of the Temple by conferring a tablet inscribed with the words “Mingkuang,”, meaning a divinely bestowed gift. Since then, the Temple has also become known as Mingkuang Temple. The structure of the Temple is composed of three halls and three shrines. Viewed from the front, it appears to be a horizontal row of three temples, with roof ridge slightly higher in the center and lower on both sides. The main hall enshrines the three mountain deities. The left hall is dedicated to the worship of the Sacred Mother in Heaven (also known as Matzu), while the right hall is for worshiping the famed poet Han Changli, the Lord of Letters. The central hall of the rear enshrines the wives of the three mountain deities. Its two sides are added guild halls for lodging. The building is in a style particular to Chaozhou. The front hall has a colonnade structure; columns and beams are tied together with tapering ends placed on stone eave columns. The ends of the tied beams feature dragon motifs. Above the beams, layers of Diedou timber frame (piling-up wood bracket blocks) lift up the purlins or crossbeams. Crescent beams with intricate engravings are placed in between. Wood relief sculptures are found on both sides of the interior gable walls. In addition, the level roof ridge is slightly raised at its edges, with gray tiles as well as concave tiles used for roofing while green glazed tiles are used as drip tiles. This fully demonstrates the distinct features of Chaozhou architecture.