Hsinchu Science Park Jinshan Temple celebrates the first Jiao-building ceremony in the 241st year of the temple's founding

The Hsinchu Science Park is home to the "Kaitai Jinshan Temple", a historical monument of Taiwan's science and technology. This year, it will celebrate the first Jiao-building ceremony in the 241 years since the temple was built. (Photo by reporter Cai Zhangsheng)

The Hsinchu Science Park has witnessed the historical monument of Taiwan's science and technology, "Kaitai Jinshan Temple". This year, it will celebrate the first Jiao ceremony in the 241 years since the temple was built. The temple authorities and local people held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Jiao altar today. Thousands of believers and hundreds of groups of people came around to pray. The Jiao ceremony will start on December 8 and will be completed on December 12.

Jinshan Temple was founded in the 50th year of Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1785 AD). It enshrines Guanyin Buddha and is the belief center of the Zhuke people. The architectural craftsmanship of Jinshan Temple is of great historical value. The temple body is mainly made of "rammed earth" technology that is mixed with red soil, straw, rice bran and glutinous rice juice, and manually pounded repeatedly to construct the main body of the temple wall, which carries the local memory and wisdom of Taiwan's ancestors who pioneered the land.

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This traditional rammed earth temple hidden next to the Bamboo Branch has been investigated and excavated by many scholars of history and ancient architecture. It was confirmed that it is rare and important in the history of Hakka development and traditional temple construction methods. It has been listed as a municipal historic site by the Hsinchu City Government.

Rao Zhenrong, the chairman of the temple, said that Jinshan Temple was originally included in the Science Park. When it was facing demolition and expropriation by the government, when strange hands and construction trucks came in to bulldoze the temple area, several large machines stalled and failed to find the reason. The workers put down the machines on the spot and stopped work. After the efforts of the CEO of Zhuke Technology and local people, the government finally decided to preserve Jinshan Temple on the spot. Since then, Jinshan Temple has witnessed the emergence of bamboo from scratch, and has become the spiritual sustenance of many scientific and technological people, and its incense is at its peak.

Rao Zhenrong said that since Jinshan Temple had not built a Jiao to express gratitude during the two constructions of the temple in the past 40 years, after the completion of the temple again three years ago, the temple decided to follow the ancient rituals to build a Jiao. This time, after the construction of the Jiao altar for the successful blessing of the Five Dynasties was started, the ritual ceremony was started. The temple, thousands of believers and people from different places went around Zhuke and Hsinchu urban areas to pray for blessings. The temple invites all walks of life to actively participate in the Five Dynasties Successful Blessing Ceremony series from December 8 to 12, and experience the cultural legacy spanning two centuries, integrating traditional folk customs and modern technology cities.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the altar was held at the "Kaitai Jinshan Temple" in the Hsinchu Science Park. (Photo by reporter Cai Zhangsheng)