Chen De Xing Hall

Traveler highlights

Cheng De Xing Ancestral Hall is the Chen clan’s ancestral shrine in Datong District. Its origins date to 1860, when Chen Weiying and other family members enshrined their ancestors at home. As worshippers grew in number, a hall was built beside Dengying Academy in Taipei Prefecture in 1892. When the Japanese government constructed the Governor-General’s Office, the shrine moved to Dadaocheng and was rebuilt in 1914. Later, plans to expand Penglai Elementary School threatened it with demolition; the preservation dispute helped prompt revisions to Taiwan’s Cultural Heritage Preservation Act. The hall retains a two-courtyard plan with paired side corridors and wings, and a seven-bay facade. The front hall’s double-eaved hip-and-gable roof, bracket sets, woodcarving, paintings, and caisson ceiling display the Zhangzhou craftsmanship associated with Chen Yingbin. Two opposing dragon columns before the entrance are known as the “Heaven-and-Earth-turning Dragons,” while a rare tin candle stand depicting the Heavenly Palace on an elephant stands before the main hall. Ancestral rites are still held each spring and winter. The site offers a look at clan-hall architecture, its craft details, and the tension between urban development and heritage conservation.