Nose-dropping Patriarch | Dark-faced Patriarch
Qingshui Zushi, originally named Chen Zhaoying, was a renowned Northern Song Dynasty monk from Anxi, Quanzhou, Fujian. Famous for his miraculous rain prayers, his statue typically has a dark face — legend says demons smoked him for seven days and nights at Qingshui Rock but he survived. Taiwan's most famous legend is the 'Nose-dropping Warning': when disasters or calamities are imminent, the patriarch's nose falls off to alert the people.
Qingshui Zushi cultivated at Qingshui Rock in Anxi, spreading virtue widely. After Anxi immigrants crossed to Taiwan, he became an important hometown guardian deity. The most famous temple is Sanxia Changfu Rock (Sanxia Zushi Temple), renowned as the 'Eastern Art Palace.'
Devotees worship Qingshui Zushi with offerings of fruits, incense, and the Three Sacrificial Animals. As a deity associated with rain and disaster prevention, farmers have historically prayed to him during droughts. A unique feature of worship is observing the "Nose-dropping Warning" — checking whether the statue's nose has cracked or fallen, which is believed to predict earthquakes, typhoons, or other disasters. Sanxia Zushi Temple, rebuilt over decades by master artist Li Mei-shu using only traditional methods and hand-carved stone pillars, is itself an act of worship through art.
Qingshui Zushi's birthday on the 6th day of the 1st lunar month is the main celebration. The most famous event is the "Competition of the Divine Pigs" (Sai Shen Zhu) at Sanxia Zushi Temple, where devotees raise pigs to extraordinary weights as offerings. Although the practice has sparked modern animal welfare debates, it remains a deeply rooted tradition. The temple's reconstruction by artist Li Mei-shu (begun in 1947 and continuing for decades) made Sanxia Zushi Temple a living museum of traditional stone carving, bronze casting, and wood sculpture — earning it the title "Eastern Art Palace."
Qingshui Zushi (Patriarch of Clear Water)
Rain prayers, disaster prevention, medicine