A temple built in 1909 in Pingtung County was given its own address on Friday after a year-long campaign, and help from the township office and council, Chaojhou Township (潮州) Office Chief Secretary Wang Chien-yuan (王建元) said.
The Chaolin Temple (朝林宮), which was designated as a historical site by the county government in 2006, initially registered a neighbor’s address as its own when the government required temples to register in 1973, Wang said.
After using the neighbor’s address for more than four decades, the temple sought the office’s help last year, worried that the lack of a formal address might lead to disputes over property rights, Wang said.
Photo: Chiu Chih-rou, Taipei Times
However, the temple’s efforts ran into bureaucratic difficulties.
The temple was built more than a century ago, when there was no such thing as a usage license — permits certifying a building to be occupied — and it never got one, but the license is required today to apply for an address through a household registration office.
The township office and council overcame the issue by using a clause in the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act (文化資產保存法) that exempts historic buildings designed by the government from the Building Act (建築法), Wang said.
The temple on Friday unveiled its own address plaque with a ceremony that included lion and dragon dances.
At the ceremony, Chaojhou Mayor Chou Pin-chuan (周品全) said that having a registered address would help the temple apply for and proceed with projects to develop its potential as a tourist attraction.
The main deity worshiped at the Taoist temple is Nezha (哪吒, also known as the Third Prince).
As the only designated historical site in the township, the temple is recognized for its architectural style and unique role of being a common religious center shared by three villages, the Ministry of the Interior’s religious heritage Web site says.
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