Qingshui Ancestral Master

Qingshui Ancestral Master’s secular name was Chen Zhaoying (alternatively recorded as Chen Rongzu), a Northern Song dynasty Buddhist monk from Anxi County, Quanzhou Prefecture. He resided and practiced at Qingshui Rock Monastery, devoting his life to fundraising for bridge and road construction, providing free medical care and herbal remedies, and praying for rain to avert drought and perform rituals to dispel disasters—earning deep reverence from local communities. After his passing, villagers enshrined his image and began worshipping him as a deity. During the Southern Song dynasty, the imperial court conferred upon him four successive posthumous titles, culminating in 'Zhao Ying Guang Hui Ci Ji Shan Li Dashi' (Master of Illuminating Response, Vast Benevolence, Compassionate Relief, and Beneficial Virtue). As the birthplace of Tieguanyin tea, Anxi venerates him as the guardian deity of tea cultivation; before each spring tea harvest, farmers conduct solemn rites in his honour. During the Qing dynasty, settlers from Anxi migrated to Taiwan to open up farmland, carrying with them consecrated incense ashes and spirit tablets of Qingshui Ancestral Master. This led to the establishment of the Sancha Qingshui Ancestral Master Temple in Taipei, which evolved into the central hub of Qingshui Ancestral Master worship in Taiwan. For over nine centuries, incense offerings and devotional practices have flourished continuously across both Fujian and Taiwan.