【Introduction】
The Shueixian Temple, also known as the Temple of the Water Lords, was built in the 45th year of Emperor Qianlong (1780). During the reign of Emperor Jiaqing, the temple was destroyed by the flooding Bengang river along with the temple of Guanyu, the warrior god. When in the 19th year of Emperor Jiaqing (1814), the villagers raised funds for reconstruction and the temple of the warrior god was constructed at the rear of the Shueixian temple. The two shrines were later combined into one, and in 1961, a Matsu statue from the Nanyao Temple was enshrined and revered here, thus making the Shueixian Temple a sanctuary where three groups of deities, the Water Lords, Warrior God, and Matsu, are worshipped. The temple is a three-hall, two-corridor building. The front hall is built with three entrances. There are two bluestone lion statues guarding the central entrance, and above them are fine carvings of lion faces on the beam. The main hall enshrines the Five Water Lords, namely Dayu (Yu the Great), Lu-ban, Wu-zixu, Qu-yuan, and Xiang-yu. Among them the giant statue of Dayu, serene and benevolent, is the host deity sitting in the center with Yi the Great Archer and Ao the Great Boatman standing at his sides. Inside the main hall a wood plaque hangs which was bequeathed by the magistrate of Bengang, Pang Zhou; it reads “Radiance Rivaling the Sun and Moon”. This plaque is considered a valuable artifact from the period of Jiaqing’s reign. A pair of pillars with dragon sculptures is a testament to the temple when it was built in the 45th year of Emperor Qianlong. They were donated by Lin Kaizhou, an outstanding student ( lit. “tribute student”) of the imperial academy. Many of the well preserved color-painted objects, the door gods and other wall paintings, were works of the famous painter Chen Yu-feng from Tainan.