Historic Qing Dynasty Stele Preserved at Kaohsiung's Chihshan Wenheng Temple

The Chihshan Wenheng Temple in Kaohsiung's Fengshan District stands as a testament to centuries of cross-strait cultural heritage. Dedicated to Wenheng Shengdi (Guan Yu, the God of Righteousness), the temple was constructed during the 60th year of the Qing Kangxi era (1795). Most notably, a stone stele from 1744—the "Lianming Dezheng Qusi Bei" (Memorial Stele of Upright Governance)—is preserved at the temple's entrance, predating the temple itself by over 50 years.

The stele, which has survived more than 280 years in remarkably intact condition, commemorates the virtuous administration of County Magistrate Zou Chengyuan during the Qing dynasty. According to the inscribed text, the magistrate mediated a land dispute in which a local scholar named Qian Dengxuan had encroached upon communal pasturelands designated for four settlements: Xinglong, Chihshan, Banping, and Guanyin. After investigating the matter, Magistrate Zou ruled that Qian must not expand his personal cultivation rights. As Zou's tenure concluded in late 1744, residents of the four settlements jointly commissioned this stele to honor his fair and ethical governance.

The preservation of this artifact is itself remarkable. The stele remained housed in storage for an extended period before being rediscovered and displayed in the 1980s. This protected interior storage prevented weathering damage, allowing the carved inscriptions to remain clearly legible to this day. The temple records indicate that such commemorative steles, called "qusi bei," were common during the Qing period, serving dual purposes: to express gratitude from citizens toward respected officials upon their retirement, or, in some instances, to enhance the prestige of local gentry.

Beyond its historical significance, the Chihshan Wenheng Temple has played an active role in cross-strait religious exchange. In 2013, sacred iconography from the Jiezhou Guandi Temple in Shanxi province visited the temple, followed in 2015 by a procession featuring a Ming-era Guandi statue from Fujian. These events are documented in temple publications through photographs and written records, affirming the temple's role as a nexus for shared Guandi cultural heritage across the Taiwan Strait.