Pages

Monday, January 30, 2012

Koxinga Shrine 鄭成功祖廟, Tainan

A beautiful shrine dedicated to a Chinese warlord


The Koxinga Shrine or 鄭成功祖廟 is a shrine in central Tainan dedicated to Cheng Cheng-kung (鄭成功) also known under his nickname Koxinga (國姓爺). He was a 17th century warlord and loyalist of the Ming Dynasty, who expelled the Dutch from Taiwan and established the first Chinese ruled state on southern part of the island called Tungning Kingdom (東寧王國). Unfortunately, he died 6 months after he became the head of his newly established state. His son Cheng Ching (鄭經) sat on his throne and built this shrine in 1663 to his honor (source).

The dragon fountain in front of the Koxinga shrine.

This is for me one of the most impressive historic sites in Tainan. I love the green roof tiles, as well as the predominant red color of everything underneath. The courtyard is very skillfully done, so is the small park with a pond, a pavilion and a statue of Koxinga on a horse. These are located outside the shrine area. The pond features a fountain in a shape of a dragon, one of the highlights in the area. You definitely shouldn't miss this shrine, when you come to Tainan, it will definitely impress you with its timeless classical Chinese architecture. Below are some more photos from my short visit:

The dragon fountain from close.

The simple yet impressive paifang upon the entrance to the shrine.

Upon entering.

The main building from the side.

The main building from front.

The main building from front - zoomed in.

The incense tray burner.

The altar with the offerings to Koxinga.

The ceiling with ornamentation.

The shrine from the side.

Trees.

The pavilion outside.

A closeup on the statue of Koxinga.

Koxinga on his horse.

Calligraphy

No comments:

Post a Comment