The founder of Qing Shui Yan temple practiced Taoism in Qing Shui Yan, Anxi County, honored as Reverend Qing Shui. He was said to have gained supernatural powers through his skill in learning and preaching dharma and meditation. Through this, he is said to have saved the town of Anxi during a period of drought, bringing rain as he went from place to place. In reverence, the villagers built shrines to him and hence became a Deity in Chinese Folk Religion.

Reverend Qing Shui has been conferred four times by Emperors in successive dynasties, with a holy title of “Zhaoying Guanghui Secondary Shanli Master”. According to legend, he was born with a Taoist bone, became a vegetarian at a very young age and studied scriptures from thousands of years. Reverend Qing Shui adhered to the tenet of “doing more good deeds” and “saving the world” throughout his life and devoted himself to the application of medicine to relief the poor and sick. After Reverend Qing Shui became a Buddha, he was said to have responded to devotee’s request and hence, his incense has since been passed down for thousands of years, and Reverend Qing Shui eventually gained devotees from all over the world.