Temples, Taipei

4 more images

Taiwan has some of the best Chinese temples in the world. There are so many in Taipei. The ones we enjoyed most are as follows:

Guanda Temple - Take Danshui line to Guanda Station. The temple is 20 mins walk from the station. It is well-sign-posted. The temple is huge with 2 large statue lined tunnels as well as the main temple hall. Across the river from the temple there was an interesting market.

Longshan Temple - Longshan Temple MRT Station. This is the oldest temple in Taipei, located in the oldest area near herb alley, snake alley and Guangzhou Street night market. The temple contains a Guanyin image that has survived earthquakes, bombings and riots. There is also a shrine at the back to the matchmaker. People pray to him in order to meet their ideal partner.

Qingshan Temple - a beautiful temple on 3 floors. By climbing upstairs you can see the temples's elaborate roof carvings of dragons and gods. Within walking distance of Longshan temple, close to the end of Snake Alley. A very pleasant Taiwanese lady showed us round and showered us with food when we visited on Chinese New Year Eve.

Confucius Temple - Take the MRT to Yuanshan Station on the Danshui line. It's 5 minutes walk. One of the simpler, less ornate Chinese temples, beautifully peaceful and with pleasant gardens.

Boan Temple - opposite Confucius temple - hugely ornate, covered in beautiful paintings and carvings. Very well worth a visit.

1 more image

Xia Hai Temple (Taoism) was built in 1895 for the city god in the old district of Taipei city. Although it is small, it has a lot of believers.

Besides the city god, we also worship various (800) gods in the temple. The most famous one is called "Under Moon Ancient" responsible for love. He binds couples together by red lines. It is said that after praying for love in Xia Hai Temple many people get boyfriends/girlfriends and even marry within 1 year. (It's the same as Jishujinja in Kyoto, Japan.) It's especially efficacious on Moon Festival when is the god's birthday (15th day of 8th month, lunar calendar).

I visited this famous old temple on 18th Sep. 2005 (Moon Festival). There I prayed for meeting my Mr. Right soon and received a red line to put in the wallet. I also saw a lot of single young girls whorshipping there. I am not a religional person but why not to give it a trial? Maybe you are also interested to try?:-p

4 more images

The Temple has been damaged many times over the last 200 years or more by typhoon, earthquake and war and yet it is said that the Goddess of Mercy statue remained intact and on her pedestal the whole time.

People who want to ask the gods about their future careers use this temple. The main god for this temple is called Gwan Gonn. When people come to ask the gods about their career, they bring gifts of food, which are laid on tables, they then light incense sticks and say some prays to two sides of the temple. After this they introduce themselves to the gods, to let them know who they are, and ask them if they can help them about their career. This is done by the person throwing two moon shaped pieces of wood in the air. The way they land determines if the gods can help them or not. If the gods answer yes then the person goes to pick a stick from a tube. Each stick has a number on it, which refers to a piece of paper containing the answer. However, before you can go and take your paper containing the answer, you need to go and ask the god if you have picked a stick with the right number on it. This is done in the same way by throwing the moon shaped pieces of wood in the air. If the gods answer yes then you can go and get your answer. Sometimes the answer isn't always clear to you and there are religious helpers there to help explain the answers to you.

The Mengchia Chingshui Temple, commonly known as Tsushih Temple, is dedicated to the god Chingshui Tsushih. Immigrants from Anhsi County built it in 1787. By the end of the Japanese occupation, the temple had fallen into disrepair due to a lack of funds. In 1958, it was renovated again with donations and restored to its former glory. The sides of the southern hall are decorated with mosaics.

The Paoan Temple, built between 1805-1839, is dedicated to Paosheng Tati, the God of Medicine. Along with Lungshan and Chingshan, it is one of the three most important temples in Taipei. The temple consists of front, middle, and rear halls and bell and drum towers. During the Japanese occupation, the temple was converted into a Japanese language school and a bamboo mat factory. The buildings were renovated in 1919.

4 more images

Deep in the heart of Ximending, this 1948 temple is barely recogonizable from the outside. One inside it opens to a courtyard.

Lots of locals go there to pray for everything. It's one of the popular spot for tourists from everywhere to go have a look.

There are many Buddhist temples in Taipe and also other temples. I don't remember, where I took this photo. It is inside a Buddhist temple.

Sightseeing and shopping.Taipei has several interesting sights and temples that are beautiful.
It is the epitome of Oriental lifestyles or what I expect them to be.The temples were fabulous