The Cult of Chen Yonghua 陳永華 in Tainan

Chen Yonghua Palace in Tainan

Besides Zheng Chenggong 鄭成功, the next famous and popular figure is Chen Yonghua 陳永華 who assisted Zheng's son Zheng Jing 鄭經 to establish the Dongning Kingdom 東寧府. He laid out the foundation of the governance, cultural establishment, and taxation system in Taiwan. He is still worshiped in Tainan today and becomes the archetype of Chen Jinnan 陳近南 in Jin Yong's 金庸 novel The Deer and the Cauldron 鹿鼎記. The founding of Huangbo Temple in Tainan was closely related to him as it was located in the site of his residence. 

Chen Yonghua Shrine inside the Palace

Cheng Yonghua Statue in Tainan Confucius Temple

Tainan Fahua Temple 台南法華寺

Front gate of Fahua Temple

Fahua Temple in Tainan 台南法華寺 used to be an important Buddhist site. It was started by a Ming loyalist Li Maochun 李茂春 when Zheng Chenggong took over Taiwan. Li was the friend of Chen Yonghua 陳永華 and they often met in this place which was Li's residence before. There might be some connections with Tainan Huangbo Temple because they were built around the same time.  I visited this place in Dec. 2015 and found out it is a rebuilt temple. A free pamphlet distributed by the monastery gave a detailed history of the temple. It seems the temple has involved in a long-term dispute with Tainan municipal government because the city insisted the temple is a historical site and prohibits its expansion project. The abbot Ven. Qingxu  晴虛 is leading a petition and argues there is no historical relics in the temple and the government should allow its expansion. Dr. Yang Kuei-hsiang told me Ven. Qingxu used to be abbot in Lingquan Temple in Jilong 靈泉禪寺 as well. Lingquan Temple is very important in reviving Taiwan Buddhism in the modern period. 

Temple History by Fahua Temple

Expansion plan

Petition by Ven. Qingxu

The Location of Tainan Huangbo Temple 台南黄檗寺

Original Site of Huangbo Monastery, northward, photo by Jiang Wu

Original site of Huangbo Temple, southward, photo by Jiang Wu

I know there was a Huangbo Temple in Tainan which has been destroyed for a long time. It used to be the residence of Chen Yonghua 陳永華 and later was converted as Huangbo Monastery. This monastery has a close connection with the Ming loyalists and the resistance movement. I thought it was inside Tainan No.2 Middle School 台南二中. But at the suggestion of Mr. Cao Guodong 曹國棟, I finally found the place. It was located in an empty lot at the northern corner of the intersection of Xiaodong Road 小東路 and Beimen Road 北門路, to the east side of Tainan Park. A blog by a local historian named Yunhai Youzi 雲海遊子 explained the history of Huangbo Temple very well. See 黃檗寺-陳近南故居

There are also the following useful references to the temple:
野川博之，＜臺南黃檗寺考＞，載《黃檗文華》第123， 2003， p.53-75
吳敏霞 2007 《日據時期的臺灣佛教》。臺中：太平慈光寺。
江燦騰2001 《日據時期臺灣佛教文化發展史》。臺北：南天書局。
王見川、李世偉（合著） 1999 〈日治時期臺灣佛教的認同與選擇：以中臺交流為例〉，收於王見川、李世偉合著，《臺灣的宗 教與文化》，頁 29-67。臺北：博揚文化事業有限公司。
釋慧嚴 2008 《臺灣與閩日佛教交流史》。高雄：春暉出版社。