Name of Temple: Le Cheng Temple
Commanding deity: Mazu
Address: No. 48, Hanxi Street, East District, Taichung City
Brief introduction: Located at No. 48, Hanxi Street, East District, Taichung City, the Le Cheng Temple is oriented in an east-sitting and southwest-facing arrangement. Its commanding deity is Mazu (commonly known as Hanxi Mazu). The initial construction of the Temple can be dated back to the 18th year of Qianlong Emperor in Qing Dynasty (or in 1753) and has been assessed and rated as class 3 historic monument by the Ministry of the Interior. The original timber-framed buildings were renovated and expanded in the 10th year of Taisho (or in 1921).
The Le Cheng Temple is designed in a Szu-ho-yuan (四合院) courtyard pattern. Its main hall and wing rooms are rated as class 3 historic monument, all of which were artworks of Chen Ying-bin (陳應彬), a great master architect from Zhangzhou (漳州), China, whose main architectural features can be listed as follows:
1. Small rooftops on top of big rooftops
2. Wood brackets on top of a column to support the crossbeam
3. Pumpkin-shaped stigma and bracket seats
4. Word-pattern sculptures of hornless dragons and tigers
All the above main architectural features can be found in The Le Cheng Temple.