Bangka Qingshui Temple

Just getting here feels like a secret: the temple is tucked behind houses that for decades occupied its old forecourt. It belongs to Master Qingshui, a Buddhist monk of the Song dynasty revered by migrants from Anxi in Fujian, who built it between 1787 and 1790.

1Burned in a neighbours' war

In 1853 Bangka was torn apart by the so-called Ding-Xia feud: migrants from three counties of Quanzhou fought those from Tong'an for control of the port. To reach their rivals, the winners burned this temple and promised to rebuild it, but donated only a pair of columns. The Anxi faithful had to raise the money themselves: work began in 1867 and ended in 1875. That is why the temple still looks the way temples did in the mid-19th century.

2The master with the falling nose

The most revered statue is the «Old Master of Penglai». Images like it are popularly known as «the master whose nose falls off».

According to tradition, the statue's nose drops off by itself to warn of an approaching catastrophe, and returns to its place once the danger has passed.

Another story says that in 1884, during the war with France, the statue was taken to Tamsui and the French were driven back. The battle is historical, and the temple keeps a plaque from the Guangxu Emperor dated 1886; the miracle belongs to faith. The statue is shared with the Tamsui temple, which hosts it in turns.

3What to look for

• The stone dragon columns at the entrance.
• The brick reliefs of 1817 on either side of the porch, among the oldest in Taiwan.
• The ceramic figures of the Eight Immortals on the roof.