Ci-shang Temple is located on Jie-yue Street, Hualien. It was constructed by a Japanese monk in 1917 and called “Nishi Hongan-ji (Xi-ben-yuan Temple).” In November 1946, when Taiwan was restored after World War II, the Taiwan Provincial Committee which was in charge of the Japanese property handed it over to the Hualien County Government. Then Master Miao-xian, the founder of Ci-shang Monastery, was made to take over the temple. The foundation, constituted as a juristic person and called “Ci-shang Temple, Hualien City, Hualien County,” was established in November 1978. Master Da-ying was made to succeed the temple in April 1987, and she led the temple to prosperity and kept it moving on and on until now. Having experienced the restoration of Taiwan, the temple has almost gone through one century. Therefore, to explore the changes and the developments in different stages of this temple becomes the main concern of this research. This research focuses on the connections between stages, the succession of different generations, the constructions of the temple, and the abbot’s or abbess’s endeavors and achievements in each stage, trying to make clear what happened in the past. This research has thoroughly examined historical traces and combed through the changes and developments of temples and monasteries in the eastern part of Taiwan, hoping to manifest the difficult and arduous processes in each stage and the noble spirit to work for Buddha dharma and Buddhism. This may be a great inspiration for the general public. This thesis consists of five chapters. Chapter One explains the motivation, the purposes, the field of study, the research methods, and the literary reviews. Chapter Two explores how Japanese preached Buddhism at Hualien. At that time, three Japanese farming settlements were established, and so “Hualien Harbor Preaching Center” was founded in 1917. Two years later, the Japanese monk, Yoshitoshi Takeda, moved the center to where the temple is now. Chapter Three and Chapter Four elaborate on how the temple, called Nishi Hongan-ji then, was transferred to Master Miao-xian through the government after World War II when Japanese were repatriated. Master Miao-xian’s and Master Da-ying’s admirable leadership, achievements, and contributions were fully described in these two chapters as well. Chapter Five makes reviews and conclusions; it also details the promising future prospects of the temple. Based on the explorations and analyses, this research has reached the following conclusions: 1. Under the guidance of each abbot or abbess, this temple has been showing different characteristics e
