Ouwa Wenheng Temple

Ouwa Wenheng Temple primarily worships Emperor Guan Sheng (Guan Gong). The founding statue was brought to Taiwan by early settlers who accompanied Koxinga during the Zheng regime era. Initially enshrined in a private residence, its popularity grew, and a temple was eventually built for its worship during the Kangxi Emperor's reign in the Qing Dynasty. The temple's current appearance is a result of renovations in 1971 (the 60th year of the Republic). Due to Guan Gong being the main deity, many of the temple's stone carvings depict stories from the Three Kingdoms era featuring Guan Gong, such as 'Guan Yu Slaying Meng Tan in Luoyang' (Meng Tan was the second general slain in 'Passing Five Passes and Slaying Six Generals'), 'Reading the Spring and Autumn Annals at Night', and 'Flooding the Seven Armies'. The walls beyond the stone carvings are largely decorated with cut-and-paste ceramic art (剪黏), works by the 'Living National Treasure' artist Wang Baoyuan. On the walls of the Wenchang Shrine, added during the Guangxu Emperor's reign, there is the 'Four Readings' mural by Pan Lishui, a master artist recognized with the Heritage Award. Although the temple space is not large, the density of its artistic collections is no less than that of other temples.