Tainan Travel

San Shan Guo Wang(Kings of three mountains;三山國王) belief is a folk belief that originated in Guangdong, China. Built in 1742, the temple is the only purely Cantonese style building in Taiwan. It enshrines the gods of the three mountains (respectively, the kings of Mt. Jin, Mt. Ming and Mt. Du; 巾山國王、明山國王、獨山國王). Apart from enshrining the gods of the three mountains, Han Wen Gong and Tian Shang Sheng Mu (韓文公與天上聖母) are also enshrined. On arriving at the entrance, it can be seen that the temple is different to most temples, without the bright colors and the walls painted in very low-key tones. The dragon-tiger relief sculpture in the center of the worship hall is exquisite and should not be missed. The temple also has a large number of historic plaques; the main hall displays the Bao Zhong(褒忠)plaque presented by the Qianlong Emperor and Han Wen Gong Temple has a plaque presented by the Guangxu Emperor. There are four rooms behind the main hall, one of which enshrines the wives of San Shan Guo Wang. The temple overall has a pronounced coastal Chaoshan atmosphere (潮汕氣息)To see a temple different to Minnan (southern Fujian) style temples, this is a historic building that is well worth visiting.