Songzhu Temple

Songzhu Temple (Chinese: 松竹寺; pinyin: Sōngzhúsì) is a folk religion temple located in Beitun District, Taichung, Taiwan. Built in 1833, the temple is dedicated to a specific Guanyin statue known as "Waterflow Guanyin" (水流觀音; Shuǐliú Guānyīn).[note 1]

Songzhu Temple
松竹寺
Front of Songzhu Temple
Religion
AffiliationChinese folk religion
DeityGuanyin
Location
LocationBeitun District, Taichung
CountryTaiwan
Geographic coordinates24.183002°N 120.692571°E / 24.183002; 120.692571
Architecture
Completed1833
Direction of façadeSouthwest

History

According to legend, in the summer of 1830, a Guanyin statue carried by a flood got stuck in a bamboo forest at the site of the current temple. After the water settled, a group of children found the statue and began worshiping it in the forest.[1][2] Afterwards, a woman was having a difficult childbirth when a passing midwife came to help. As a token of appreciation, the woman promised to visit the midwife's home in the future. However, the midwife's directions led her to the bamboo forest. Through poe divination, the Guanyin revealed that she was the midwife. Therefore, a temple was built to house the statue in 1833, and the Waterflow Guanyin became a deity for safe pregnancies.[3]

A 20 m tall fiberglass statue of Guanyin was erected in 1988. During Typhoon Haitang in 2005, the statue fell over and was destroyed, which was interpreted as the Guanyin sacrificing itself for the people. The statue has since been restored.[4]

Filial piety tree

In the temple's courtyard, there is a sea fig tree that is thought to be more than 160 years old. The 15 m tree has two main trunks, giving it the nickname "filial piety tree" (孝子樹). The tree is listed as one of Taichung's protected trees.[5]

On 2 June 2013, the larger of the two trunks cracked from earthquake damage, causing the trunk to tip over. The tree is repaired and is supported by I-beams.[6]

  • The Waterflow Guanyin
    The Waterflow Guanyin statue. The statue is placed inside the rock in the back of the temple.
  • The fiberglass Guanyin statue
    The 20 m tall Guanyin statue is located directly behind the Waterflow Guanyin.
  • The filial piety tree
    The filial piety tree.

Notes
  1. No established translation of the Guanyin's name exists. "Waterflow" is a literal translation of 水流.

References
  1. 許國楨 (7 June 2019). "「水流觀音」有加持 松竹寺千粽贈警慰勤" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Liberty Times. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  2. 黃寅 (8 September 2015). "小學念到研究所 松竹寺全包了" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). United Daily News. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  3. "台中松竹寺水流觀音 化身產婆助順產" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Yahoo! News. NOW News. 17 August 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  4. 侯沛吟; 鄭勝為 (23 July 2005). "海棠吹斷觀音　師父不捨淚流滿面" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). TVBS. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  5. 老樹編號十四 (stone plaque). Songzhu Temple, under tree.
  6. 蔡淑媛 (9 July 2013). "「震」裂 台中北屯松竹寺老雀榕鋼架支撐" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Liberty Times. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
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