Zhaoying Temple

Founded by local residents in 1808, this Mazu temple was elevated four years later when prefect Yang Tingli (楊廷理) secured imperial funds for its expansion along with a plaque renaming it Zhaoying Temple. In 1834 the temple was relocated to its present site directly across the street and, against Mazu convention, reoriented to turn its back on the sea. A geomancer had proposed that an east-facing temple would bring material abundance while a west-facing one would yield scholarly success, and the gentry chose the latter, a decision locals credit for the awarding of Yilan’s first jinshi, Yang Shifang (楊士芳), in 1868. The rear hall was destroyed by Allied bombing in the Second World War and rebuilt in 1963. The temple is unusual for housing three wood-carved statues¹ of widely revered Qing officials nicknamed the Three Elders (三大老) of Yilan: Yang Tingli, Zhai Gan (翟淦), and Chen Zheng (陳蒸).