Bao-an Taoist Temple
Bao-an Taoist Temple in Taipei, Taiwan
Bao-an Taoist Temple Slideshow
Bao-an Taoist Temple Photo Gallery (Downloadable Pictures)
Located near the Confucius Temple in the Datung District of
Taipei, the Bao-an Temple in Taiwan offers a glimpse at a
historic Taoist temple. This temple, which is dedicated to
the god of medicine, was built in 1830. In the late 18th
century, immigrants from Fujien Province brought a statue of
the god to the temple.
When the Japanese occupied Taiwan, the Bao-an Temple in
Taiwan was used as language school, as well as a factor.
Once the Japanese no longer had a use for the temple, it was
disregarded and left.
Later, in the early 1900s, the Bao-an Temple in Taiwan
required some major refurbishing to get it back to its
original state. In 2003, the Bao-an Temple of Taiwan won the
UNESCO’s Asia-Pacific Heritage Award. Today, the temple
continues to be a historical landmark for all of the area.
The most important aspect of the Bao-an Temple in Taiwan is
that it is one of the least visited attractions in Taiwan
three-fourths of the year. Often overlooked for other
attractions, those that do visit it are astonished by its
Taoist reverence and beauty.
If you show up at the right time, though, you will find many
people enjoying the temple. Should you be at the Bao-an
Temple in Taiwan during the third lunar month of each year,
you will be able to bear witness to, as well as enjoy, the
celebrations and festivities that occur. During that time,
the birthday of Baosheng Dadi, the main deity of the temple,
is celebrated.
The celebration lasts for almost two months, from early
March to early May, and involves the local community in a
number of entertaining and respectful activities. Over the
years, those celebrations have included opera performances,
birthday ceremonies for the gods, lectures, voluntary
medical care, art competitions, and much, much more.
While the celebrations serve as a religious activity to
local residents, the Baosheng Cultural Festival is also an
important tourist opportunity for the area. Not only does it
provide tourists with information on folk customs, but it
also provides the local economy with an opportunity to
thrive during a short period of the year.
(TravelChinaTour.com)
