Sansheng Temple

Sansheng Temple, located south of the Toushe Basin, worships the Three Mountain Kings (Sanshan Guowang) as its main deity. While its appearance is not grand or majestic, it exudes an antique charm, serving as the spiritual center for the Toushe area. According to historical records, the Three Mountain Kings worshipped at Sansheng Temple were originally enshrined separately in private homes. In early days, they were highly efficacious in warding off indigenous threats and praying for rain, prompting residents to advocate for the construction of a temple for communal prayer and worship. The Toushe area originally belonged to the realm of the Shuishalian indigenous people, and local place names like “Fanzi Tomb” (Indigenous People's Tomb) and “Fanzi Store” (Indigenous People's Store) bear witness to this. Consequently, early Han Chinese settlers who came to cultivate the land were often harassed and killed by indigenous people. To address this, settlers invited the Three Mountain Kings to serve as guardian deities. Since then, it is said that whenever indigenous people appeared on nearby hills, the Three Mountain Kings would manifest, leading soldiers in drill formations to scare them away, allowing the villagers to live in peace and prosperity. The Three Mountain Kings possess strong Hakka characteristics and are mostly found in Hakka settlements. However, the Toushe area is predominantly Minnan (Hokkien) people, and local residents have even renamed the three mountain deities 'Three Immortal Kings' (Sanxian Guowang), which is quite unusual.