Qiding Shinto Shrine

A former Shinto shrine on a hilltop north of central Zhunan, Miaoli. It was established in December 1934 behind Hsinchu Prefecture Agricultural Training Institute (新竹州立農業傳習所), which has since been converted into an animal research institute. It was known more generally as Kicho-sha (崎頂社) and is classified as an internal shrine (構內社).

In the post-war period the shrine was eventually converted into a shrine to the bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha, an idol of which now stands on the podium that once held the main hall. It is meant to protect the spirits of animals that gave their lives for science. The stone base and several stone lanterns also survive. Somewhere along the way it acquired the name Hinode (日出), assigned by the Zhunan Town Office, perhaps because it was considered a good place to watch the sunrise.

As of 2024 access is possible along a marked trail next to a chain-link fence on the east side of the research institute, but signs call attention to the diseased state of trees along the route, and the hazards of loitering when they may collapse at any time. As of 2026 the site seems to be cleared of many of the trees that once surrounded it.