Qing'an Shrine, Religious shrine in Ji-an township, Taiwan
Qing'an Shrine is a religious shrine in Ji-an Township, Hualien County, Taiwan, built in the style of a Japanese Buddhist temple with a double-layered wooden roof and a formal gate entrance. The grounds surround a central worship space and are shaded by trees.
The shrine was founded in 1917 as a branch of the Kongobuji Temple of Koyasan and served Japanese settlers who had moved to Hualien during the colonial period. After Japanese rule over Taiwan ended in 1945, it was converted into a Taoist shrine and remained a place of active worship.
The grounds hold 88 Buddhist statues representing the traditional Shikoku Pilgrimage route in Japan, so walking among them here stands in for completing the full journey. This connection to Japanese pilgrimage practice still draws believers from both Taiwan and Japan today.
The shrine sits in Ji-an Township, close to Hualien City, and can be reached by train or local bus. Comfortable, closed-toe shoes are a good choice since some paths on the grounds are paved with stone.
The grounds contain a Hyakudoishi stone, an object from Japanese folk practice used to make wishes through repeated walking to a fixed point. This type of stone is rarely found in Taiwan outside shrines with Japanese origins.
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