Taipei One-Day Trip: Listen to Temple Tales at the Baosheng Cultural Festival

By MOOK Travel & Lifestyle Network Editorial Team
 

The 2015 "Baosheng Cultural Festival" hosted by Dadaocheng Bao’an Temple will kick off on April 23. The Taipei City Government’s Department of Information and Tourism has specially planned and launched the “Listen to Temple Tales” tour, recommending that the public visitDadaocheng Bao’an Temple, Dadaocheng Cisheng Temple, street snacks in front of Cisheng Temple, and Ren’ai Hospitalto explore and enjoy, rediscover these temples, and listen to and experience their moving cultural stories.

Located in Dadaocheng, Bao’an Temple is serene and filled with the scent of incense, known alongside Longshan Temple in Wanhua and Qingshuiyan Zushi Temple as one of Taipei’s Three Great Temples. Originally built in 1742 as a simple wooden shrine, it was officially reconstructed into a temple in 1804. After several renovations in the 19th century, the temple evolved into a grand three-hall, three-courtyard structure. Every year on the 15th day of the third lunar month, the Bao’an Temple holds the Baosheng Emperor’s Blessing Ceremony.The temple organizes a variety of rich and exciting activities, including family operas (the opening ceremony is on April 25 at 7:00 PM), traditional performance troupes, fire lion displays, and ancient sacrificial rites.It can be described as a festival that combines religious, cultural, tourism, and folk elements.

After visiting Bao’an Temple or participating in the Baosheng Cultural Festival, you can easily walk to Taipei Confucius Temple, which is just a step away. There are many must-see spots at the temple, such as the scripture cylinder that reflects the love of books among scholars of the time, and the owl statue symbolizing Confucius’ belief in educating all without discrimination.

Additionally, to experience traditional and deeply grassroots temple-front snacks, head to Dadaocheng Cisheng Temple. Commonly known as Dadaocheng Mazu Temple, it enshrines the Heavenly Holy Mother, commonly referred to as Mazu or the Goddess of the Sea, the guardian deity of sailors. Originally built in 1866 at the intersection of today’s Xining North Road and Minsheng West Road, the temple was demolished in 1910 due to urban redevelopment by Japanese authorities. Local people from Tong’an then pooled funds to relocate it to its current site on Yanping North Road, reconstructing it using the original beams, pillars, and stones. The reconstruction was completed in 1914, and its original appearance has been preserved to this day.