A school around a temple, a temple within a school.
Minghu Elementary began in September 1951 as a branch class held in borrowed temple buildings, established to serve the children of Hushui Village, who otherwise faced over two hours of daily travel to the nearest school — a hardship made worse during flood season. It opened with 103 students. In September 1956 it became an independent school, "Changhua County Yuanlin Town Minghu National School," under first principal Chen Kunyu. The severe flood of August 1959 (八七水災) destroyed two classrooms and the sports field, which were later rebuilt along with a new embankment. The school's motto reads: "The sound of reading echoes from Baiguoshan; Minghu nurtures talent to uplift the village" (百果山書聲悠揚,明湖育才興鄉).
明湖國小起源於民國40年(1951年)9月,最初借用廟宇建築作為分班教室,目的是服務湖水里的學童——他們原本每日通學需耗時兩小時以上,雨季時更為艱辛。創校初期僅103名學生。民國45年(1956年)9月獨立設校,定名「彰化縣員林鎮明湖國民學校」,首任校長為陳坤煜。民國48年(1959年)八七水災摧毀兩間教室與運動場,後來重建並加築新堤防。學校校訓為:「百果山書聲悠揚,明湖育才興鄉」。
What makes this school worth knowing.
⛩️ A Temple at the Campus Center
開臨宮座落校園中心
Kailin Temple (開臨宮) sits at the center of Minghu's campus — "school around the temple, temple within the school" — with the temple community having donated the land to help found the school.
🌊 Rebuilt After the Great Flood
八七水災後重建
The devastating August 1959 flood destroyed two classrooms and the sports field; the school and community rebuilt them together, along with a protective new embankment.
🚶 Founded to End a Two-Hour Walk
終結兩小時通學
Before Minghu existed, children in Hushui Village faced a daily round trip of over two hours to reach school, worsened by seasonal flooding — a hardship the school's founding directly addressed.
A village that built its own school.
Kailin Temple (開臨宮) sits at the center of the Minghu campus, with the surrounding temple community having donated the land and villagers actively helping found the school — a lasting symbol of "school around the temple, temple within the school." See the Changhua county page for more on the region.
Find the school.
No. 277, Hushui Rd., Hushui Village, Yuanlin City, Changhua County, Taiwan
彰化縣員林市湖水里湖水路277號
School's Official Website (Chinese) ↗
Last updated: July 2026 · Content adapted and condensed from the school's official Chinese-language website by the Taiwan Bilingual Hub team, not yet reviewed by the school. If you're from Minghu Elementary and would like to correct or expand this page, please contact us.