Knowing Taipei as well as I do it’s somewhat surprising I never got around to visit one of Taiwan’s most popular temples – Xingtian Temple. In my recent visit to Taipei I finally remedied that, and after a visit to the nearby remains of the Taipei Flora Expo I walked a few blocks and made my way to the entrance.
It was, indeed, quite hectic. Even though it was a regular weekday, things were pretty busy over there. The temple is dedicated to one of my favorite Gods – Guan Yu, whose life story of achieving the rank of God was recently featured in "The Lost Bladesman" (which you should definitely watch, if not only for Donnie Yen). Guan Yu, the God of war, specializes in finances and business, if you’re ever in need.
The temple offers a few services to its visitors. Most of those things I can’t begin to understand, but there’s an army of older ladies in charge of helping the visitors get rid of evil spirits and offering all sorts of protections.
As you can see, they give away incent, move around people and belongings holding burning incent with all sorts of gestures, and in general they seem to be offering guidance and a kind smile, even though I’m guessing they see hundreds of people every day.
Some great people watching going on in this temple. If you’re into temples, make sure you visit this one.
More on Xing Tian Temple :
- Xingtian Temple, Taipei – MKL
- Xingtian Temple – CF Images
- Taipei Mooching – Lao Ren Cha