Name of Temple: Haotian Temple
Commanding deity: Mazu
Address: No. 784, Zhongyang Road Section 1, Wuqi District, Taichung City
Brief introduction: The Haotian Temple has a long history. It is also an ever-flourishing religious center in the locality. The Temple is famous for its three well-preserved plaques from Daoguang Emperor and Guangxu Emperor of Qing Dynasty, which are respectively inscribed with "No Private Land Reclaiming", "No Private Land Reclaiming for Cattle", and "Notices on Water Rights Mediation for Wufuchun". In addition, there is another plaque inscribed with “Debao Shengmin” (literally meaning that people are safely protected by Mazu), which was offered by the then Changhua county magistrate Wang Zhen (王楨) and garrison commander Zhengrong (鄭榮) in the third year of Tongzhi Emperor (1864) to express their gratitude towards the blessing of Mazu during the riot caused by Dai Chao-chun (戴潮春) in the first year of Tongzhi Emperor (1862).
A typical Taiwanese temple, the Haotian Temple has an east-sitting and west-facing arrangement with three gates and three halls. Its main hall is three-room wide. The roofs of the main hall are designed in the form of hard mountain style while its house slope is covered with pantile (the only house slope that is not covered with sulfur glass pantile). The main ridge of the main hall is decorated with two dragons worshiping the tower while its tablet head is decorated with fragmented ceramic artwork of Xue Dingshan (薛丁山) being invited to marriage at Fan Jiang Guan (樊江關).
The main hall is adjoined with a Baidian (拜殿) or a worshiping palace, which is also three-room wide. The roof of the Baidian is designed in a rolling-awning style with its house slope covered with brown sulfur glass pantile. Its main ridge is decorated with a fragmented ceramic artwork of Nanjixianweng (南極仙翁), while the fragmented ceramic artwork on the tablet head is also magnificently complicated.
The rear hall is five-room wide and three-room deep. Its rooftop is designed in the traditional Sanchuan (三川脊式) or triple gate wooden structure while its house slope is covered with green sulfur glass pantile.
The shrines at the main hall were upgraded and added in 1977 by Shi Kun-yu (施坤玉) and his son Shi Chen-yang (施鎮洋), famous master carpenters from Lukang.
The pair of painted dragon pillars in the Baidian was built by stucco washing finish techniques during the Japanese Rule Period.