Longshan TemplePost date：2009-07-16
1312
Close to Wanhua train station stands a building bearing the look of a long-ago era: Longshan Temple. Built back in 1738, this historic landmark ranks alongside Taipei 101, the National Palace Museum, and CKS Memorial Hall as a “must-see” for visitors to Taipei.
270 years ago, Bang-ga (today’s Wanhua) was the first part of Taipei to be developed. At that time, Longshan Temple was the area’s largest temple, a center where local residents prayed, held events and gathered.
Why is Longshan Temple so popular with locals and tourists? It is said that the gods here really deliver results! Whether you’re praying to Bodhisattva for protection, the Old Man in the Moon for luck in marriage, or the Goddess of Childbirth for fertility— you can do it all at Longshan Temple! The Temple also features a wealth of traditional architecture. The carvings adorning the ceilings and columns are especially refined, prime examples of the beauty to be discovered in Taiwan’s temples.
Turning left as you exit the temple, there is a little side street known as “Herbal Medicine Lane” (Qingcao Xiang), which might look nondescript, but happens to be quite famous! In the days before the development of western medicine, the local people would often come here to buy traditional herbal medicine after praying at Longshan Temple. Gradually, the neighborhood became a thriving marketplace for medicinal herbs. Most of the herbal medicine shops in the alley have been passed down from generation to generation for more than a century. Why not pop in for a visit? Have a cup of herbal tea and experience an “old school” thirst quencher!
270 years ago, Bang-ga (today’s Wanhua) was the first part of Taipei to be developed. At that time, Longshan Temple was the area’s largest temple, a center where local residents prayed, held events and gathered.
Why is Longshan Temple so popular with locals and tourists? It is said that the gods here really deliver results! Whether you’re praying to Bodhisattva for protection, the Old Man in the Moon for luck in marriage, or the Goddess of Childbirth for fertility— you can do it all at Longshan Temple! The Temple also features a wealth of traditional architecture. The carvings adorning the ceilings and columns are especially refined, prime examples of the beauty to be discovered in Taiwan’s temples.
Turning left as you exit the temple, there is a little side street known as “Herbal Medicine Lane” (Qingcao Xiang), which might look nondescript, but happens to be quite famous! In the days before the development of western medicine, the local people would often come here to buy traditional herbal medicine after praying at Longshan Temple. Gradually, the neighborhood became a thriving marketplace for medicinal herbs. Most of the herbal medicine shops in the alley have been passed down from generation to generation for more than a century. Why not pop in for a visit? Have a cup of herbal tea and experience an “old school” thirst quencher!
