aeeble

There is a legend about Jiantan, which tells that Zheng Chenggong once led his troops to pass by this pond. The pond was home to a water monster like a flood dragon that caused trouble and harmed people. Zheng Chenggong took off the sword at his waist and threw it into the pond to subdue the monster. Since then, the pond has been calm, and it was named "Jiantan" because of Zheng Chenggong's sword-throwing to slay the monster. According to the Taiwan Prefecture Records, "Guanyin Temple is located at Jiantan in Bazhilan." The Jiantan Temple was recorded in the Danshui Hall Records as being built in 38th year of Qianlong reign (1773) by donations from Wu Tinggao and others. There is a stele in the temple that tells the story of a monk called Ronghua who was on his way and encountered a snake blocking his path. He used divination to determine the auspiciousness of the location and got a very auspicious result. Then, he built a site to construct the temple. Later, a white-robed Guanyin appeared in his dream, indicating that there would be eight boats passing through Keelung from Shanghai. The temple was successfully built as the prediction came true. So far, it should have a history of over 350 years. However, it was forcibly relocated to the present site in Dazhi during the late Japanese rule. Before entering the temple, there is a pailou. Under the blue-green tiled roof, there are four characters "Ancient Jiantan Temple." The alleys inside are the original site of the ancient temple. In this garden, some old temple pillars and stone steles are preserved. The remaining marks on the pillars are a history in themselves, bringing a strong sense of history.