Xingtian temple also known as Hsing-Tien temple is one of Taiwan’s youngest temples but does not dissapoint when it comes to intricate carvings and beautiful, colourful paintwork.
It was built in 1967 but despite being relatively new, thousands of people visit everyday and like many other famous temples in Taiwan, you can find an array of visitors from tourists to worshippers and monks/nuns.
It is dedicated to the deity Guan Yu – if you look below, you can find a post about him that I have recently written which explains his importance to the Taiwanese people and that he is one of the most popular deities to worship. Worshipped in both Buddhism,
Taoism and sometimes Confucianism, this temple promotes harmony and respect among people of all religions. This is why, if you ever visit, you will notice an interesting mixture of praying styles, offerings and worshippers.
Not only is this temple intriguing to many westerners, tourists and followers of other religions due to its multicultural/religious acceptance but also because it is one of the only temples in the country that:
– does not feature a donation box
– does not allow the burning of spirit money (also known as haven or hell money)
– has banned operas
– has banned sacrifices
If you wish to visit Xingtian temple you can find it via a short, sign posted walk from the MRT stop appropriately named Xingtian Temple on the yellow MRT line in Taipei.
Directions from Taipei Main Station:
– Take the blue MRT line heading towards the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Centre two stops along to Zhongxiao Xinsheng
– From Zhongxiao Xinsheng change over to the yellow line heading towards Luzhou
– Get off at the second stop – Xingtian Temple
– Leave from the station Exit 1
– Follow the sign post labelled Xingtian Temple pointing right
– The walk should only take 5/10 minutes and is in a straight line so is super easy and hard to get lost!
Temples of Taiwan 