Name of Temple: Taichung City Wenchang Temple
Commanding deity: Emperor Wenchang
Address: No. 100, Wenchang Street, Nantun District, Taichung City
Brief introduction: The "Li-Tou-Dian Wenchang Temple", predecessor of the present-day Wenchang Temple, was funded and set up by Zeng Yu-yin (曾玉音) in the 2nd year of Jiaqing Emperor in Qing Dynasty. He also set up a "community school" inside the Temple, which is said to be the birthplace of education for the Taichung area. The Wenchang Temple continued to set up a number of community schools one after another, showing us how community schools prospered and made contribution to the regional development and historical heritage in Qing Dynasty.
The Temple has well preserved a few ancient plaques, two pairs of pavilion pillars, and two "couplets" on beams all of which can be dated back to the Qing Dynasty. The Wenchang Temple was once used as the premise of Nantun Public School during the early days of Japanese Rule Period. The Temple has now been transformed into a Confucian Temple style with "corridors and pavilions" but it has continued to carry out various educational and cultural functions.
Imitating the Confucius Temple, the Wenchang Temple was further modified by raising up the ground base of its main hall, to make full use of the space, and connecting it with upper and lower "corridors and pavilions" by two vertical ladders in the middle of the first floor. The "Xie Shan-style" (歇山式) roof is paved with yellow glazed tiles. The roof ridge is designed in a “horseback” style instead of “swallowtail” style commonly seen in Minnan temples. Both ends of the roof ridge are decorated with "ridge owls” made of glazed tiles but the extended left and right vertical ridges are decorated with "ridge beasts”, such as dragons and lions. The entire roof shows a peaceful, solemn and grand view.
The second floor is used for worship purposes. At the center is the main hall in front of which is a big three-room-wide platform. The five Wenchang deities are enshrined inside the main hall.