Wanhua's Qingshui Temple

 A recent shot of Qingshui Temple

Qingshui Temple as it once looked

I've already blogged about Qingshui Temple (清水祖師廟): http://patrick-cowsill.blogspot.com/2009/09/qingshui-temple-in-wanhua.html, but I returned yesterday for another look. Here's the address:  台北市萬華區康定路81號.  I should start off by saying it's easy to miss if you're walking down Kangding Street. Qingshui isn't on the street, but rather at the end of a lane. The people out eating and drinking at the shops (they set up tables in the lane) can easily distract your view.

Here's a rundown of important dates:
1787 Qingshui Temple was first established in Taiwan, to house items commemorating Chao-ying Chen, the guardian spirit of immigrants from Anxi (安溪) County of the Quanzhou area in Fujian, China
1853 Qingshui Temple was destroyed during a clan-like feud between immigrants claiming to be from Anxi and immigrants claiming to be from Tongan (同安) County, an area near Xiamen
1867 Qingshui Temple was rebuilt
1922-25 Qingshui Temple was used as a school and was called the Taihoku Prefectural Second High School, which is now known as Cheng Keng (成功) Senior High

According to the blog The Battle for Fisherman's Wharf, Qingshui Temple also briefly housed an important wooden plaque (功資拯濟) from Danshui, which commemorated China's success during the Sino-French War (1885). Interestingly, the people of Monga (Wanhua) refused to return it. This led to ll sorts of new feuding lawsuits, etc. that continued well into the Japanese era. It's possible the plaque is still in Qingshui Temple right now: http://danshuihistory.blogspot.com/2011/01/clear-water-zu-shi-temple-in-danshui.html#comments