【Introduction】

Shengwang Temple, also known as Weihuiwang Temple or Temple of the Founding Lord of Zhangzhou, is dedicated to the worship of Chen Yuanguang of the Song Dynasty. He is seen as a guardian deity for Zhangzhou natives. The temple was built on the west side of Changhua County in 1761 with donations and funds gathered by immigrants from Zhangzhou including: Chen Zhaoxing, Yang Tianhua, Yao Zhonghe, and others from four clans: Wang, Lin, Lai, and Chen. The temple became a religious center for people from seven counties of Zhangzhou prefecture (Zhangpu, Longxi, Changtai, Nanjing, Pinghe, Shaoan and Haicheng). In 1795, during the time of the Chen Zhouchuan uprising against the Qing Dynasty, the temple was destroyed and it was later rebuilt in 1807. During the Japanese colonial rule, the temple once again suffered serious damage. It was not until 1912 that descendants of the immigrants from the seven counties of Zhangzhou launched a reconstruction project to restore it, which resulted in the structure preserved and seen today. All the contributors for the construction of this temple in different time periods are currently enshrined at the right angled wing of the rear hall. Shengwang Temple is an elongated 3-bay structure with two corridors. The roof over the central room of the front hall is raised higher than those of the adjoining rooms. The edges of the front eaves are bow-shaped and rise markedly above the ends of the outermost rooms. The principal wood structure with its accompanying carvings clearly represents the Hakka influence from the western Zhangzhou area. All of these are major features shown in the temple. In the main hall sits sculptures of dragons on the left and tigers on the right sides of the splayed walls. Standing next to each side of the front door is a bluestone lion, recognized for their exquisite works of stone sculpture.

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