Qing Xiou Yuan: Travel Back in Time to a Japanese Temple in Hualien

Ji'an Township, Hualien County
Sightseeing

Qing Xiou Yuan, formerly known as the "Shingon Sect Yoshino Preaching Hall," was built in 1917 by Kawatabata Mitsuji. At that time, the Yoshino Preaching Hall provided a place of religious belief for Japanese immigrants, stabilizing their hearts. In 1945, after the Nationalist government took over Taiwan, it was renamed "Qing Xiou Yuan."

Qing Xiou Yuan is one of the must-visit attractions in Hualien for many tourists who love Japanese culture.

The traditional Japanese architecture inside the temple exudes a strong Edo-era atmosphere.


Eighty-eight stone Buddhas are arranged in sequence within the temple. It is said that Kawatabata Mitsuji followed the legacy of Kobo Daishi, the founder of the Shingon sect, traveled to the eighty-eight temples on Shikoku Island in Japan (known as the "Shikoku Pilgrimage"), and brought back the eighty-eight stone Buddhas so that believers could worship nearby, saving them from the trouble of long journeys.


Qing Xiou Yuan is the only well-preserved Japanese Buddhist temple cultural asset in the Hualien-Taitung area, and it is also a county-designated third-class historic site in Hualien County.


The temple enshrines Kobo Daishi Kukai, Fudo Myoo, and Bishamonten, and there is also a standing stone stele about 2 meters high called "Million Times Light Mantra."

After Taiwan's Retrocession, as the Japanese returned to their homeland, the enshrined deities in the temple were also changed to Sakyamuni Buddha and Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva in accordance with the Buddhist beliefs of the Taiwanese people.


Although the main deities have been changed to Sakyamuni Buddha and Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, Qing Xiou Yuan still retains its original Japanese architecture, as well as Japanese furnishings such as the Fudo Myoo statue, Baidu Stone, Eighty-Eight Stone Buddhas, Million Times Light Mantra stele, purification fountain, small bridge, and pond, allowing tourists to reminisce about historical times.












『Qing Xiou Yuan』
Address: No. 345-1, Zhongxing Road, Ji’an Village, Ji’an Township, Hualien County
Opening Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 8:30~17:00
Closed: Monday
Ticket Information: Full ticket 30 yuan, half ticket, group ticket (20 or more people) 15 yuan
(Hualien citizens enter the park for free, and those with a disability handbook plus one companion enter the park for free)
~Please refer to theQing Xiou Yuan fan pagefor opening hours and ticket prices~
Published in 2021