The outside walls of the main structures of all three temples are faced with red bricks, symbolizing the sincerity, loyalty, compassion and divine majesty of Guan Sheng Dijun.
When you come to Hsing Tian Kong, before entering the inner courtyard, you can freshen up and adjust your clothing and headwear in the hand washing area.
Two words, “Wen Xin”(introspect one’s mind) and “Xi Xin ”(cleanse one’s mind), were painted on the mirrors hung on the wall in the hand washing area. This is to encourage believers to often examine their own consciences and to behave uprightly. “A red heart: good fortune, rank, longevity; a black heart: poverty, disease, hardship.” The deities bless people who have a red heart (who act with benevolence and do good deeds), and punish those who have a black heart (who act with evil and do immoral deeds).
Structural elements placed below the point where a beam meets a column, to maintain the joint at right angles. They are all painted with dragons or floral decorations.
The 27 poetic couplets which are carved on the columns of Hsing Tian Kong, mainly to glorify Guan Sheng Dijun, are all works of famous Taiwanese artists and reveal the flowing lines and unique beauty of Chinese calligraphy.
In traditional Chinese architecture, the buildings that connect a front hall to a main hall are called “hu long” (“guardian dragons”).
