Checheng Zhenan Temple 車城鄉統埔村鎮安宮

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Checheng Zhenan Temple is an important place for Taiwanese fold religion and one of the most popular tourist attractions in Checheng Township of Pingtung. It is dedicated to Guanyu, a deified military general from the Eastern Han Dynasty of China. It is the most prominent landmark on highway 199 from Taitung to Pingtung. 

Historical Background:
Settlements in Checheng date back to the Kingdom of Tungming, when it was originally called Chaicheng or "firewood city." During the Qing Dynasty the name was changed to Checheng or "cart city."
The earliest recorded temple on this site dates back to 1897, with renovations later in 1915 and 1984. 
The temple is dedicated to Guanyu, a deified military general from the Eastern Han Dynasty of China. He is known as the Guan Holy Emperor. The temple also has deities of Mazu, Jigong, and the Lords of the Three Mountains. Overall this temple can be considered a Taiwan folk religion or Taoist temple. 
The temple features two parts, one normal looking two storey temple, and another four storey temple with a giant statue of Guanyu on top. 

Hours:
8:30 AM to 9:30 PM (open late so you can see it with lights)

Price:
50 NT per person.

Tours and Activities in Pingtung:
There are many activities available in Pingtung, such as snorkeling, diving, SUPing, surfing, submarine riding, and river tracing. 
You can find more tours of Kenting on Klook here or KKday here. 

Where to stay:
Looking for a hotel? Find out where to stay in our Taiwan hotels guide or search for the best hotel deals in Taiwan here. We recommend booking through Agoda here, which provides the best quality selection of accommodation in Taiwan.
I have stayed at many hostels and hotels in Pingtung, and even almost bought a house here. Some places that I have stayed at and can recommend are Nanwan Kiki (book on Agoda here, Booking.com here), a B&B next to Nanwan Bay, Kenting's most popular Beach. There are also a few decent hotels near Kenting Street Night Market like Kenting Star Inn 888 (book on Agoda here, Klook here, or Booking.com here), or Kenting Dajianshan Hotel (book on Agoda here or Booking.com here). You will notice that none of these hotels are five star resorts (I do not come to Kenting to waste my time at a resort, but you can still search Agoda, Booking.com, or Klook here for those) but they are in my opinion the above have the best value for the money. 
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How to get there:
By Car/Scooter: You can either take the 199 from Taitung or provincial highway 26 south and then turn left on highway 199. IT is hard to miss because it is the highest building around surrounded by farmland. 
Looking for scooter rental in Pingtung? Click here or here to search for options.
You can also check out our scooter rental guide here. 
If you are looking for car rentals, you can also search Qeeq here, Klook here, or  KKday here. You can also check out our car rental guide here.  
By Bus: From Hengchun, take bus 201 to Nandahai Road, after which the temple is only a six minute walk. You can book tickets to Kaohsiung via high speed rail (HSR)  on Klook here or KKDay here, or book tickets via the normal train (TRA)  on Klook here. You can book tickets to travel to Pingtung via inter-city bus on Klook here. 
By Bicycle: Cycling is the best way to enjoy Taiwan's landscapes if you have the time and energy. Looking for bicycle rentals in Taiwan? You can search on KKday here and search for tours on Klook here. You can also check out our Taiwan cycling guide here. 

Map:
Please see below:

Our Journey:
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During our round island trip in 2014, we drove a car starting from Taipei and then down the east coast. We missed the turnoff to provincial highway 9 and ended up on highway 199 which is a mountain road through southern Pingtung on the Hengchun Peninsula. It was a scary, windy one lane road with leaves all over it, and I do not recommend anyone to drive a car on it. When we finally made it to the plain in Checheng, it was such a relief. 

Some locals along the raodside in Checheng. 

Last bit of hills on the way to Checheng. 

When we first saw this temple, we knew we had to stop and take a few photos. It was too prominent and large of a landmark to not take notice. 

Large parking area in front of the temple. 

Decoration at the front of the temple. 

Main hall on the first floor. 

Model of a Chinese village related to Guanyu. 

Main shrine inlaid with what I assume is pure gold. 

Scuplutres bathed in red light on the third floor. 

Utter barren land around the temple. 

View looking north from the top of the temple. 

View looking south.

View looking east. Note the dragon fountain below.

Giant statue of Guanyu. 

View of the dragon fountain. 

In conclusion, this is by no means the greatest temple in Taiwan, but it was a fun pit stop for some foreign travelers on a long trip around the island. 

​Don't forget there are many more activities in Pingtung such as such as snorkeling, diving, SUPing, surfing, submarine riding, and river tracing. 
You can find more tours of Kenting on Klook here or KKday here. 

You can check out our full guide to Pingtung here. 

You can also check out our full travel guide to Taiwan here. ​

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