Chaolin Temple
{{Short description|Temple in Chaozhou, Pingtung County, Taiwan}}
{{Infobox religious building
| name = Chaolin Temple
| native_name = 朝林宮
| native_name_lang = zh
| image = 潮州朝林宮.jpg
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| location = Chaozhou, Pingtung County, Taiwan
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| architecture_type = Temple
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| established = 1909
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Chaolin Temple ({{zh|t=朝林宮|p=Cháolín Gōng}}) is a temple located in Silin Village, Chaozhou Township, Pingtung County, Taiwan.
History
Chaolin Temple traces its history to the 1850s, when a farmer surnamed Chen sought to donate his land and construct a temple to Nezha.{{cn|date=July 2022}} A feng shui practitioner advised against the temple's construction, and it was not built in Chen's lifetime.{{cn|date=July 2022}} After the feng shui practitioner had also died, Nezha began appearing to Chen's descendants, warning of heavy rains if the temple was not constructed soon. The rains that came caused flooding, and the floods washed the coffin of the feng shui practitioner into a pond. The coffin circled the pond three times, then sank and vanished.{{cite news |last1=Crook |first1=Steven |title=Highways & Byways: Returning to the wild |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2020/04/24/2003735195 |accessdate=13 June 2020 |work=Taipei Times |date=20 April 2020}}{{cite news |title=財團法人台灣省屏東縣潮州鎮朝林宮 |url=http://crgis.rchss.sinica.edu.tw/temples/PingtungCounty/chaujou/1302019-CLG |accessdate=13 June 2020 |agency=Academia Sinica |language=zh}} A second origin story also involves floodwaters, in this case diverted by an apparition of a child, which saved the village. Afterwards, local leaders collected funds to construct a temple, and the Chen family donated land for its construction.
Following the flood, Chaolin Temple was completed in 1909.{{cite news |last1=Kuo |first1=Chu-chen |last2=Liu |first2=Kay |title=Century-old temple in Pingtung finally given an address |url=https://focustaiwan.tw/society/202006130011 |accessdate=13 June 2020 |agency=Central News Agency}} However, during Japanese rule, Chinese folk religion was repressed. When the Kuomintang-led government required temples to be placed on a registry in 1973, township leader Chen Jung-chieh submitted Chaolin Temple under a neighboring address.{{cite news |title=借用47年 潮州百年古蹟朝林宮終於有了門牌 |url=https://udn.com/news/story/7327/4632128 |accessdate=13 June 2020 |work=United Daily News |date=12 June 2020 |language=zh}} A community and elder care program that had launched in 2006 is hosted at Chaolin Temple.{{cite news |last1=簡 |first1=惠敏 |title=關懷獨居老人 |url=http://sixstar.moc.gov.tw/blog/szulin/communityAction.do?method=doSpecialView&PK=3974 |accessdate=13 June 2020 |publisher=Ministry of Culture |date=11 March 2009 |language=zh}}{{cite news |last1=陳 |first1=信宏 |title=潮州朝林宮社區關懷據點啟用 |url=http://sixstar.moc.gov.tw/blog/szulin/communityAction.do?method=doSpecialView&PK=2626 |accessdate=13 June 2020 |work=China Times |agency=Ministry of Culture |date=19 August 2008 |language=zh}} Chaolin Temple was designated a historical site by the Pingtung County Government in 2006.{{cite news |last1=郭 |first1=芊妤 |title=潮州朝林宮列為縣定古蹟 |url=http://sixstar.moc.gov.tw/blog/szulin/communityAction.do?method=doSpecialView&PK=2625 |accessdate=13 June 2020 |agency=Ministry of Culture |date=23 May 2007 |language=zh}} The temple received its own address in 2020.
References
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{{Coord|22.5455|N|120.5684|E|type:landmark_region:TW|display=title}}
Category:1909 establishments in Taiwan
Category:Temples in Pingtung County
Category:Religious buildings and structures completed in 1909
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