The Eighteen Lords Temple

　　The origin of the Eighteen Lords Temple is quite legendary. It is said that during the Qing Dynasty, 17 wealthy merchants from Fuzhou set sail together to visit the Putuo Mountain for worship. Unfortunately, they encountered a shipwreck and perished. Their bodies drifted ashore along Shimen, with only one loyal dog surviving—but it too died in devotion to its masters. Moved by their loyalty, the local residents buried the dog and the 17 men together in a single tomb and built a temple in their honor, naming it the Eighteen Lords. Since then, countless stories of the Eighteen Lords’ miraculous appearances have been reported, spreading their fame far and wide.

　　The temple consists of the main hall and the tomb of the Eighteen Lords. Beside the tomb stands a bronze statue of the loyal dog. It is believed that rubbing the statue with a red cloth brings immense good fortune, making it extraordinarily efficacious and well-known throughout the region. Consequently, worshippers flock to the temple non-stop, often causing severe traffic jams along the Northern Coast Highway. Interestingly, legend has it that the Eighteen Lords were fond of smoking, so rows of white Changtai cigarettes are commonly seen standing upright in front of the altar, creating the temple’s most distinctive feature. Due to the large number of visitors, numerous street vendors have gathered around the temple and even spilled over to the opposite side of the road, forming a row of over 20 stalls that resemble a bustling night market. Over time, the zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) from this area have become a famous snack that visitors must try, and the burnt snail delicacy is also worth sampling.

　　Transportation Guide

　　1. Take a Danshui Bus bound for Jinshan or Shimen from Danshui, or take a Taiwan Bus bound for Keelung, and get off at the Eighteen Lords Temple stop.

　　2. From Keelung Railway Station, take a Taiwan Bus bound for Danshui and get off at the Eighteen Lords Temple stop.