The Longshan Temple is the most famous ancient temple in Taipei. Built in 1738 by settlers from the Chinese mainland who founded a trading post at the site 15 years previously, the temple was where local residents worshipped the Guanyin Bodhisattva and looked to it for protection and the resolution of disputes. In the Sino-French War of 1884-85, the temple became a rallying point for the successful defense of Taiwan against French troops. Earthquakes, storms, and a major termite assault obliged the community to rebuild the temple at various times in the 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1945, allied bombing directed against the Japanese occupiers destroyed the temple, but the statue of Guanyin, beneath which many people from the neighborhood had taken refuge, remained intact.