Defeng Temple

Origins and Local Devotion

According to temple records, a group of settlers brought the Patriarch's image from Yina Mountain to Taiwan during the early Qianlong period (around the 1740s–1750s). For a time, the deity was housed in the home of a local family in what was then called Qitou Village, a predecessor settlement of present-day Zhufeng Village. As the community grew, villagers pooled their resources to build a proper temple for the Patriarch, giving rise to Defeng Temple.↗

Today the Patriarch of Remorse is recognized as the principal folk deity of the Lugu mountain area, with duties described as local protection, community safety, and upholding moral discipline. Defeng Temple remains one of the active nodes in this web of village devotion.↗↗

Festival Season

If your timing is right, Defeng Temple comes alive during the Lugu Township's most important religious celebration. Around the 16th day of the third lunar month (usually falling in late April), the valley hosts the Chan Kuei Patriarch Cultural Festival, a joint event involving all sixteen Patriarch temples. Defeng Temple sends its own procession with drum-and-gong troupes and village celebration teams.↗↗

The festival typically features a morning prayer-and-parade circuit through Lugu's main roads, folk performance troupes, temple cultural exhibitions, local tea ceremony demonstrations by young performers, and traditional food stalls. Fireworks and evening performances round out the program, turning the entire valley into something of a giant village fair.↗

The temple also observes a celebration for the Xuan Tian Shang Di (Northern Emperor) on the third day of the third lunar month, with its own head procession and drum troupe.↗

Visiting the Temple

Defeng Temple sits on Guangfu Road in the small hamlet of Zhufeng, surrounded by the gently rolling hills and tea terraces of Lugu Valley. The approach is rural and peaceful; a local reviewer noted that a signpost guides visitors to the temple's archway, and the atmosphere brings a sense of calm. It is not a large or ornate complex—rather, it has the character of a well-kept neighborhood shrine where daily prayer and seasonal festivals weave together.↗↗

Visitors interested in the cultural context of the Chan Kuei Patriarch worship can use this temple as a starting point for exploring the wider network: other Patriarch temples like Fenghuang Mountain Temple, Changxing Temple, and Zhusheng Temple are all scattered across Lugu Township, each with its own story and architecture.↗

Getting There and Practical Tips

The temple's address is No. 45, Guangfu Road, Zhufeng Village, Lugu Township, Nantou County. The contact phone number is 049-2676037; calling ahead is advisable since opening hours are not consistently published online.↗↗

Lugu Township is best reached by car or scooter from Nantou city, with the mountain roads winding through tea plantations and bamboo groves. The area is well known for Dongding Oolong tea, so combining a temple visit with a stop at a local tea farm is a natural day-trip itinerary.↗