Ximen

Nishi Honganji Square (西本願寺廣場)

Walking around Taipei’s Ximending Shopping, have you ever come across the random bell tower on the side of the road? If so, you might have asked yourself: “What’s the deal with that Japanese-looking thing in one of the city’s hippest urban areas?” Today, I’m here to answer that question, and possibly any others you might have about this piece of the city’s history.

Suffice to say, ‘Ximending’ (西門町), might never have become the popular place it is today without these buildings, and the urban development that came with them. So, in this article, I’m going to focus on the modern history of Ximen, introduce the building which was once located next to the bell tower, and the park that exists there today.

As usual, I’m going to provide some pretty in-depth information about some of these things, so if you just want to know about what exists there today, feel free to scroll down below to where I introduce the ‘Nishi Honganji Relics’ section, which focuses on the contemporary usage of the land as a public park and cultural space, a short distance away from the hustle and bustle from what has become known as the ‘Mecca’ of Taiwan’s youth culture.

Ximending (西門町 / せいもんちょう)

It’s unlikely that there are many people who visit Ximen today who stop and think: “I wonder what this place looked like a century ago?” The modern shopping district that we know and love has developed so much over the past few decades that it doesn’t even resemble a shadow of its former self. But this is what I do, I stop and look at things and try to appreciate the long history that helped to transform parts of our communities into what they are today.

Well over a century prior to becoming known as the “Shibuya of Taipei” and the arrival of all of its theaters, night clubs, karaoke bars and shopping, the ‘Ximen’ area was simply just a patch of swampy wilderness outside of the city’s ‘Baocheng Gate’ (寶成門), the Qing-era gate, more commonly known as the ’West Gate’ or ‘Ximen’ (西門), in Mandarin, which is where the area derives its name.

When the Japanese arrived in Taiwan in 1895 (明治28年), the area was completely undeveloped and consisted primarily of dengue-infested swamps, part of the first generation railway, and a road between the walled area of the city (台北城內) and Bangkha (艋舺), or Wanhua (萬華). Showing little interest in the confined nature of Chinese-style walled cities, the Japanese quickly got to work knocking them down in order to carry out their grander plans for massive urban development in what would be the capital of the empire’s new overseas colony.

Note: For a bit of scale, if you walked from the North Gate (北門) to the Ximen MRT Station (where the original west gate once stood), it would likely only take you about ten minutes. That walk would essentially consist of half of the walled area that was the ‘Taipei’ of the Qing-era. That being said, there were other developed areas nearby like Dadaocheng (大稻埕) and Bangkha (艋舺) that were located outside of the walls. Nevertheless, old Taipei was just a very small piece of one of the neighborhoods within the capital today.

Much of the development of the city in the initial years of the Japanese Colonial Era was influenced by the re-construction (re-routing) of the railway, which was essential to the empire’s plans for exerting control over the island as well as extracting its precious natural resources. With the railway from the northern port city of Keelung running through the north-eastern portion of Taipei, it curved in a south-western direction and made its way through Ximen and Bangkha before crossing the river on its way further south.

Having the Qing-era walls in the area complicated the construction of the south-bound railway out of the city, which was re-routed from the original track laid by the Qing a decade or so earlier. Within the first decade of the colonial era, the city developed at an almost inhuman speed with roads, public works and new buildings popping up all over the place. With all of the construction taking place, it might have seemed like the early years were all-work-and-no-play, so the government made the decision to follow the example of East Tokyo’s popular Asakusa District (浅草 / あさくさ), a specialized entertainment and economic area, and came up with plans to develop the land near the old Western Gate.

Taking inspiration from the Qing-era gate, the Japanese named the neighborhood “Seimon-chō” (西門町 / せいもんちょう), which translates directly to ‘Ximending’ in Mandarin. Starting in 1897 (明治30年), the area became home to business and entertainment facilities starting with the Taihokuza Theater (臺北座 / たいほくざ), then the Eiza Theater (榮座 / えいざ) and the still existing Seimon-cho Market and Department Store (西門市場八角樓), known today as the Red House Theater (紅樓劇場). In addition to theaters, markets and department stores, Ximen also became home to a number of restaurants and bars, marking the start of an entertainment, shopping and fine dining paradise, something which hasn’t changed for more than a century.

Link: Kishu An (紀州庵文學森林)

Business and entertainment in the area continued to thrive throughout the Japanese-era as the number of theaters continued to expand. When the Second World War ended and the Japanese were forced to surrender control of Taiwan, they left the citizens of the capital with a well-established appreciation for motion pictures and entertainment, and that is something that carried on in the post-war period as ‘Ximen’ continued its expansion, consuming the Japanese-era neighborhoods known as Wakatake-chō (若竹町 / わかたけちょう), Shinki-chō (新起町 / しんきちょう), Suehiro-chō (末廣町 / すえひろちょう), Kotobuki-chō (壽町 / ことぶきちょう) and Tsukiji-chō (築地町 / つきじちょう).

Today, the shopping district is home to over twenty theaters and thousands of stores and vendors catering to an estimated three million visitors per month. The modern era however hasn’t been all fun and games for Ximen though - In the early 1990s, business in the district declined as there was a shift towards the East District (東區) of the city, where massive department stores were constructed. Lending a hand to the struggling Ximen, the Taipei City Government designated the district as the Ximending Pedestrian Area (西門町商圈行人徒步區), prohibiting vehicles from entering the area on weekends and national holidays. Then, in 1999 (民國88年), the Ximen MRT Station (西門捷運站) opened for service and assisted in bringing the district back to life, offering quick and convenient access.

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has proved to be yet another nail to the heart of the shopping district with many vendors forced to shut their doors due to the lack of tourists, shopping and high cost of rent.

Once we put this pandemic behind us, you can be sure that this historic entertainment district will once again make its triumphant return, and all the ‘for rent’ signs we see now will quickly disappear!

Changing so much over the past century, it is surprising, yet heartening that we can still find some historic locations among the constantly changing face of the district’s urban landscape. Given that Ximen was developed during the Japanese-era (1895-1945), it should go without saying that the vast majority of the historic attractions you’ll come across in the area are related to that period of Taiwan’s history.

Some of those historic locations we can enjoy are the Red House Theater (which was recently restored), the Taipei Mazu Temple (台北天后宮), originally a Japanese Buddhist temple (Hong-Fa Temple 弘法寺 / こうぼうでら), Fahua Temple (Hokke-ji / 法華寺 / ほっけじ) and the subject of this article, the Nishi Hongan-ji Park.

Nishi Hongan-ji Temple (西本願寺)

Taking inspiration from Tokyo’s Asakusa District, the Ximending Shopping and Entertainment District was also home to some important places of worship. Just like the ancient Sensō-ji Buddhist Temple (金龍山浅草寺 / せんそうじ) back in Tokyo, Ximen was chosen as the home for the Taiwan Branch of the Nishi Hongan-ji Buddhist Temple (西本願寺台湾別院 / ほんがんじたいわんべついん).

While it certainly wasn’t comparable in size to the ostentatious ‘Buddhist’ temples you’ll find in Taiwan these days, the Nishi Hongan-ji temple was one of Taiwan’s first massive places of worship, when it was completed, it dominated the city’s skyline.

Constructed as the ‘Taiwan Branch’ of Kyoto’s Nishi Hongan-ji temple (西本願寺), the temple was part of the “Pure Land” sect of Buddhist temples, better known as the Jōdo Shinshū (浄土真宗). As one of Japan’s largest Buddhist organizations, the massive Taiwan branch was constructed in an attempt to show the power and prestige of the group and its eagerness to expand its number of followers in the colony.

Links: Nishi Hongan-ji | Jōdo Shinshū (Wiki)

Regarded as a Japanese National Treasure and designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Nishi Hongan-ji Temple in dates back to 1591, and is one of the most widely visited destinations in the historic Japanese capital of Kyoto. Officially known as the “Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha” (淨土真宗本願寺派 / じょうどしんしゅうほんがんじは) sect, there are more than a hundred branches throughout Japan, and the organization has expanded internationally over the years with branches constructed around the world.

As one of the organization’s first overseas branches, the Jodo Shinshu were one of the first Japanese Buddhist organizations to land in Taiwan. Monks were embedded within the ranks of the army and were tasked with comforting soldiers on expedition, taking care of the injured, holding Buddhist funerals for the deceased and escorting their remains back to Japan.

The history of the ‘Taiwan Branch’ got its start in 1897 (明治30年) when the group purchased around 8300㎡ (2500坪) of land in Taipei’s Shinki-chō (新起町 / しんきちょう). A few years later, thanks to a generous grant of 25,000 Yen from the headquarters back in Kyoto, the colonial government approved an application to construct a ‘temporary’ temple complex located near where the park is located today. With plans for a future migration to a permanent home, the temporary location was set up with a Main Hall (本堂), Assembly Hall (集會所) and dormitories for the monks.

The ‘temporary’ situation lasted until the early 1920s, when the colonial government implemented an ambitious urban development plan (市區改正) that re-shaped and modernized the city by improving roads and constructing public works that took care of sanitation and sewage. Given that parts of the temple were located in an area that was slated for the construction of a major road (currently Changsha Street 長沙街), the group purchased an additional plot of land just south of where the new road would be constructed.

Portions of the original temple had to be demolished and reconstructed to comply with the urban development plan, however it was a relatively fortunate situation, as the plot of land originally occupied by the temple connected directly to the new plot.

This meant that they had more space and were were able to move things around, and eventually expand.

In 1922 (大正11年), the Mausoleum (御廟所 /ごびょうしょ), Bell Tower (鐘樓 / しょうろう) and Jushin Assembly Hall (樹心會館 / じゅしんかいかん) were completed. Then, in 1924 (大正13年), the abbot’s official residence (輪番所) was reconstructed. It would take until 1931 (昭和6年) however for the massive Main Hall (本堂 / ほんどう) to officially re-open its doors.

At nearly 1000㎡ (300坪), the Main Hall was constructed on a large reinforced concrete base facing east in the direction of the Governor General’s Office. The upper section of the building, including much of its giant roof was constructed of Taiwanese Red Cypress (紅檜). The interior space of the building featured high-ceiling space and its size was measured in an old style of measurement listed as seven ‘bays’ wide and seven ‘bays’ in length (正面七開間,縱深亦為七開間), which is approximately 31.5 meters in length and width in metric and reached a height of around 76 feet, equal to a seven or eight story building by today’s standards.

In addition to the upper floor space, the concrete base was also functional in that it included space for a library, conference rooms, etc. The interior space on the upper floor was divided into two different sections, the outer section (外陣) and the inner sanctum (內陣) with the outer section occupying the majority of the space featuring large sliding panel doors on the three sides of the front half of the building and a large open space for meditation and worship. The inner sanctum on the other hand would have been home to an area that was cordoned off, accessible only to the monks at the temple with a large shrine against the rear wall.

The architectural design of the Main Hall largely followed that of the Goeidō Hall (御影堂), known in English as the “Founders Hall”, at Kyoto’s Nishi Hongan-ji Temple. Historic photos of the interior of the Taipei temple match up quite well with what we can see today at the historic building in Japan, but more notably, the roof of the building in Taipei was designed to be almost a replica of the original.

One of the saddest things about the loss of this building is that there are few traditional buildings from the Japanese-era that remain in Taiwan which feature a roof as grand as what you would have seen at this temple. The few that come close would be the Tainan Martial Arts Hall, Changhua Martial Arts Hall, or the Taoyuan Shinto Shrine, however none of them were comparable in size, and each of them vary in their architectural design.

Note: It’s important to remember that even though the height of the building was a total of 76 feet, at least three quarters of its total size would have been the roof, which was meant to display the grand nature of the building. The importance of the roof’s architectural design cannot be understated, and it is what made the building so iconic.

Where the building’s roof was similar to many of the other traditional Japanese-style buildings around Taiwan was that it was designed in the ubiquitous irimoya-zukuri (入母造 / いりもやづくり) architectural style. More commonly known as the ‘East Asian hip-and-gable roof’ (歇山), these roofs essentially consist of a ‘hip’ section that slopes down on all four slides and a ‘gable’ section on the opposing sides. Originally taking inspiration from Chinese-style architectural design, the Japanese irimoya style evolved over the centuries and began to take shape as mastery over construction techniques improved.

Links: East Asian hip-and-gable roof (Wiki) | Irimoya-zukuri 入母屋造 (JAANUS)

Post-war photo of the temple dominating the Ximen skyline

The roof at the Taipei temple followed the same irimoya-style hip-and-gable roof as what you’d find at Nishi Hongan-ji back in Kyoto, but as it was a much newer structure, the construction techniques differed slightly. The Taipei temple made use of iron trusses within the interior of the building in addition to the reinforced concrete pillars on the exterior that extended from the base to the roof to help to stabilize it’s massive weight.

Where it remained the same however, and what would make it rare in Taiwan today, was that it featured a very steep slope on the ‘hip’ with ‘hongawarabuki’ (本瓦葺 / ほんかわらぶき) tiles. These tiles, which are a mixture of flat broad concave tiles (平瓦 / hiragawara / ひらがわら) and semi-cylindrical convex tiles (丸瓦 / marugawara / まるがわら) created a visual effect that made the roof look as if it were an incoming tsunami.

I’m sure all these official names don’t make a lot of sense to most people, so to explain it simply, the cylindrical tiles are laid first and looked like giant bamboo trees running down the length of the roof. The flat tiles on the other hand ran horizontally and acted as protective covers for the seams or joints where they met.

At the top of the roof there was a thick ‘oomune’ ridge that ran horizontally along the length of the building decorated with ‘shishiguchi’, or ‘lion-mouth tiles’ on the ends. Running vertically down the roof were similarly decorated ridges known as ‘kudarimune’ and next to them ‘corner’ ridges that are split into two sections referred to as ‘sumimune’ and ‘chigomune’ on the end. Finally, on the ends of each of the triangular gable sections you’d find beautifully decorated gegyo (懸魚 / げぎょ) ‘hanging fish’ wooden boards, used as a charm against fire, similar to porcelain dragons on Taiwanese temples.

Once again, you’re being inundated with a bunch of technical terms, so I’ll provide a diagram blow that points to each of the functional and decorative aspects of the roof just mentioned:

  1. oomune (大棟 / おおむね) - the ridge that runs along the top of the roof.

  2. shishiguchi (獅子口 / ししくち) - decorative ‘lions-mouth’ elements on the edges of the ridge.

  3. kudarimune (降棟 / くだるむね) - a ridge that descends vertically from the top ridge.

  4. sumimune (隅棟 / すみむね) - a corner ridge that connects to the gable.

  5. chigomune (稚児棟 / ちごむね) - the end of the corner ridge, decorated with shishiguchi (2).

  6. marugawara (丸瓦 / まるがわら) - semi-cylindrical convex roof tiles that look like bamboo.

  7. hiragawara (平瓦 / ひらがわら) - flat roof tiles that lie between the marugawara (6).

Sadly, after the war, the temple complex was used for a variety of purposes, which prior to the ‘February 28th Incident’ was occupied by the infamous Garrison Command, which rounded up political prisoners and took them to the temple for interrogation, imprisonment, or worse. Later, it was used as housing for a merry-go-round of refugees who came to Taiwan with the Chinese Nationalists. The number of people coming and going from the temple became a precarious issue and ultimately, the grounds became home to illegal squatters, which left it in pretty terrible shape, before it caught fire and burnt to the ground in 1975 (民國64).

After much of what once existed was destroyed, the grounds became home to even more illegal squatters, who set up their own little village of tin-sheeted houses (鐵皮屋), something that was highly frowned upon by the government, especially in one of the city’s most important districts.

And that ladies and gentlemen is where I’m going to move on to the current situation regarding the Nishi Hongan-ji Relics Park!

Nishi Hongan-ji Relics Park (西本願寺廣場)

The historic and cultural value of the grounds were largely ignored until the city had enough of the eyesore next to one of its most important shopping and business districts. In 2006 (民國95年), an urban renewal initiative that sought to knock down the illegal squatter village simultaneously recognized what little remained of the temple as a Protected City-Level Monument (市定古蹟). By 2011 (民國100年), the remaining residents on the grounds were relocated, and a project to convert the grounds into an urban green park, with restoration on the few remaining temple structures were set to be the main attraction.

Restoration of the buildings and the space were officially completed in 2014 (民國103年), and a breath of life was brought back to the historic grounds, reborn as ‘Nishi Hongan-ji Square’ (西本願寺廣場), a multi-purpose park and cultural space gifted to the residents of Taipei.

Unfortunately, it goes without saying that much of what once existed on the grounds has become a distant memory as the various fires over the decades left the majority of once existed in ruins. Lost from the original temple are the Main Hall (本堂), the Mausoleum (御廟所), the Administration Building (庫裏), the Sanmon Gate (山門 / さんもん), and the monks dormitories. What was able to be saved however are the beautiful Bell Tower (鐘樓), the Jushin Assembly Hall (樹心會館), the Abbot’s Residence (輪番所), and the concrete base of the Main Hall.

Below, I’ll briefly introduce each of the remaining pieces of the temple individually, and the purpose they serve today as park of the urban culture park.

Bell Tower (鐘樓 / しょうろう)

The Bell Tower, an integral part of a Japanese Buddhist temple was located within the interior of the complex, just past where the Main Gate (山門) once stood. Coincidentally, once of the smallest parts of the original temple, the Bell Tower today serves as the park’s main attraction. Despite not burning down with many of the other sections of the original temple, the original Bell Tower met with a similar fate as the village of squatters more or less just built around the original base of the tower, consuming it into their village.

Completely reconstructed based on the design of the original, the Bell Tower today features a massive Bonshō bell (梵鐘 / ぼんしょう) housed within what is known in Japan as the “shōrō” (しょうろう). Japanese-style Bell Towers typically fall into two different styles of architectural design, both of which can still be enjoyed in Taipei today - The first type is the most traditional variety known as “hakamagoshi” (褲腰), typically a walled two-storey hour-glass shaped building with the bell located on the second floor. This type can be viewed at the nearby at the historic Soto Zen Daihonzai Temple (曹洞宗大本山別院) as well as the Chin'nanzan Gokoku-ji Temple (鎮南護山國禪寺), each of which are only a few stops away on the MRT.

The second type is considered a ‘newer’ (13th century “new”) variety known as “fukihanachi“ (吹放ち), which is essentially an open structure with no walls, and a bell hanging in the middle.

Within both of these architectural styles, the common feature is that they are typically adorned with a beautiful Japanese-style gabled (切妻造) or hip-and-gable (入母屋造) rooftop. In the case of this Bell Tower, the roof is absolutely beautiful and has to be enjoyed close up. The restoration team obviously spared no effort in ensuring that the roof of the bell tower remained faithful to the original and took special care to have Japanese experts assist in the construction process.

The four sided hip-and-gable roof of the tower features a sloping roof with triangular ‘tsuma’ (妻 / つま) on each of the gable-ends. Designed and decorated similarly to the roof of the former Main Hall, the roof consists of many of the decorative elements mentioned above - What you’ll want to pay the most attention to however are the amazing carpentry skills that make up the network of support trusses within the roof. Working together with the four pillars that connect to its cement base, the trusses are both functional as well as beautiful in their decorative designs.

Bell Towers serve both practical and symbolic purposes as they are thought to have the power to 'awaken people from the daze of everyday life and the pursuit of worldly things like fame and fortune’ and the daily ringing of the bells is a reminder to people of all walks of life to slow down and enjoy life. Even though the Bell Tower serves as a reminder of the beautiful temple that once occupied this space, the bell is only rung on special occasions.

Jushin Assembly Hall  (樹心會館)

Dating back to 1923 (大正12年), the Jushin Assembly Hall (樹心會館) was an interesting addition to the temple complex. The ’T-shaped’ Japanese-Western fusion building was constructed with a mixture of brick and wood and features a Japanese-style roof and a ‘karamon’ (唐門 / からもん) entrance. The interior of the building however is considered western-style and was meant to show off the ‘modernity of the era’ (表現新時代精神), with it’s open space and western-style roof trusses. The brick building features quite a few large windows, allowing for considerable amount of natural light in the building during the day, which helps the iconic Taiwan Renga (台灣煉瓦株式會社) red bricks to shine.

Originally used as a space to educate visitors in Buddhist doctrine, the building today is operated by the Taipei City Department of Cultural Affairs and is used as an exhibition and event space. Unfortunately, the space isn’t always open to the public, so if you visit, you may not be able to explore the interior of the building.

Abbot’s Residence (輪番所)

The former Abbot’s Residence is a simple Japanese-style wooden residential-style dormitory that was elevated off of the ground on a cement base. Similar to many of the other Japanese-era houses that I’ve written about over the years, the house was beautifully restored by the city government and the exterior features recently planted cherry trees along the walkway to its entrance that bloom in the winter.

While the residence is ‘technically’ open to the public, it is currently occupied by the ‘Eighty-Eightea Rinbansyo’ (八拾捌茶輪番所), a popular tea house that promotes Taiwanese tea. Despite being a popular destination for Instagrammers, the interior of the building has some pretty strict guidelines with regard to photography, and more or less only allows people with smart phones to take photos, unless a permit is applied for beforehand.

The leasing of the building to the tea shop is part of a government effort to make use of these historic buildings for commercial purposes, recouping some of the public funds used for the restoration of the park - something which I’ve written about in the past.

Link: The role of Public-Private Partnerships in Conserving Historic Buildings in Taiwan

In the future, I’ll likely write a dedicated article about the Abbot’s Residence and the Tea House that occupies the space today, but it’s one of those experiences that I’ll have to plan long in advance in order to be able to take proper photos within the historic residence.

Link: Eighty-Eightea (八拾捌茶)

Open Daily from 11:30 - 6:00pm

Base of the Main Hall (本堂臺座)

Taipei 101 might be one of the most iconic structures in the modern capital of Taiwan, but its safe to say that the original Main Hall of this temple (in addition to a few others) were the Japanese-era equivalent. The historic photos of the building that you can see above are an important reminder of the once iconic building that dominated the city’s skyline.

Even though the building was destroyed, the Taipei City Government restored the reinforced concrete base of the building to ensure that its memory can be enjoyed for years to come. The base, which was restored and renovated along with the rest of the park is currently home to the Taipei City Archives (臺北市立文獻館), and features some important historic exhibitions where you learn about the city’s history. The stairs of the base are likewise a pretty popular spot for residents of the city to relax, enjoy their lunch, or chat with friends.

The City Archives are open to the public Monday to Friday from 9:00am - 5:00pm.

Entry is Free of Charge

Getting There

 

Address: #174-176 Zhonghua Road, Section 1, Wanhua District, Taipei City

(臺北市萬華區中華路1段174-176號)

GPS: (25.040200, 121.507290)

Located a short distance from Taipei’s popular Ximending (西門町) shopping district, the Nishi Hongan-ji Square is a beautiful natural space that highlights the history of the Ximen area. Given that it is within walking distance of not only the shopping district, but all of the other historic and cultural attractions in the area, a visit to the park is one that won’t take too much time out of your day.

Conveniently located just south of Ximen’s MRT station, getting there is pretty simple.

Due to its proximity to the MRT Station, I’m not going to provide information for anyone driving a car this time.

If you’ve got a car, simply input the address provided above and you’ll be able to map out your route pretty easily. That being said, the Ximen area is one of the busiest and hippest parts of town, so parking your car nearby can be both frustrating and expensive. I highly recommend you just park it elsewhere and make use of the city’s excellent public transportation, instead.

MRT

The easiest and probably the most convenient way to get to the area is to make use of Taipei’s excellent MRT network. The Nishi Hongan-ji Relic Square is located a three or four minute walk from Ximen Station (西門站) on the network’s Blue Bannan Line (板南線). Once you’ve arrived at the station, you’ll want to take Exit 1 (1號出口) and walk south on either Zhonghua Road (中華路) or Hanzhong Road (漢中路), where you’ll also see the iconic Ximen Red Building (西門紅樓).

Bus

In addition to the MRT, Taipei’s Public Bus network is also pretty useful, especially if you’re coming from an area where you’d have to transfer trains a few times. The most convenient bus stop is located next to Ximen Station, which has almost two dozen different bus routes coming from all over the city. With so many buses, it’s difficult to link to all of them, so below, I’ll provide a list of the routes that are serviced by the Ximen Station Bus Stop. I highly recommend travelers make use of the Taipei eBus website, or download the Bus Tracker Taipei app on your phone (Android | iOS) or use the Real-Time Bus Tracking service offered on the eBus website.

Here are the following routes that service the station: #9, #12, #49, #202, #205, #206, #212, #232, #246, #249, #250, #252, #253, #260, #262, #304, #307, #310, #604, #624, #660, #667, #662, #667

Similar to the MRT above, the park is a short walk from the MRT Station and Bus Stops.

Youbike

If you find yourself riding around town on one of Taipei’s shared bicycles, you’ll be happy to know that there is a Youbike docking station conveniently located next to the park. You can simply dock your bike there when you arrive and get another one when you leave.

Despite what little remains today of one of Taipei’s most elegant Japanese-era temples, the park offers a fitting memorial to what once stood on the grounds, and the usage of space, whether its the museum, tea house, bell tower or the exhibition space, was carefully considered. While it’s highly unlikely that the historic temple will ever be reconstructed, the park remains a pretty cool natural space within one of the hippest parts of the city and offers a nice respite from the hectic shopping areas of Ximen.

There is a long list of public events that take place in the park throughout the year, so if you’re visiting for the first time, you can enjoy the beauty of the bell tower and learn about the city’s history in the museum. For those of us lucky enough to live in Taiwan on a long-term basis, the park is an excellent place to visit throughout the year, depending on what exhibitions or events are taking place.


Taipei Lantern Festival (2017年臺北燈節)

The Lantern Festival (元宵節) is a traditional festival which is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the Lunar New Year and its celebration marks the culmination of the traditional Spring Festival celebrations. 

The festival is one that is steeped in tradition and historically featured simple round red lanterns which symbolized a ‘new start’ for the year as well as good fortune as red is an auspicious colour in Chinese culture. 

The simplicity of the small red lanterns that were put on display during Lantern Festival are something that became synonymous with Chinese culture over time while the elaborate lanterns we see today were mostly reserved for the emperor.  

These days things are a lot different and the lanterns you’ll find at the various lantern festivals throughout the world come in all shapes and sizes and can often be very complex in design.

The Lantern Festival in Taiwan is an important celebration with events being held in every city and county in the country as well as a designated national Lantern Festival which is being held in Yunlin this year. 

2017 Taiwan Lantern Festival Website: English | 中文

The Taipei Lantern Festival traditionally features lanterns created by students who took part in a lantern-creation contest as well as professionally-made lanterns which all focus on the themes corresponding to the Chinese zodiac. 

The 2017 Taipei Lantern festival is taking place between February 4th and 17th. This years incarnation boasts both traditional lanterns but also showcases Taiwan’s high-tech prowess using the latest technology for light projection and illumination which will be displayed on the walls of historic sites and buildings.  

While the Taipei Lantern Festival traditionally focuses on the display of “lanterns”, this one which has the theme “West Side Story, Taipei Glory” focuses on the history of the area between the Northern (北門) and Western gates (西門) of the city.

The festival is broken up into several different themed areas based on either chickens or eggs and there are also several different stages for performances, parades, children’s activities and light shows. 

The event organizers boast that this years Lantern Festival is a break with tradition and they hope that it will allow visitors to enjoy the historic commercial districts with the celebrations being held on the streets. 

In the past, the Lantern Festival would be held at Liberty Square (自由廣場), Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall (國父紀念堂) or the Taipei Expo Park (花博公園) all of which have large open areas that can accommodate large crowds. 

This year the city government threw all of that out the window and planned for the festival to take place in the heart of the already busy Ximen Shopping District (西門町商圈). Instead of a large open space the organizers have decided to fill three meter wide sidewalks with tens of thousands of people.

Transportation to the Lantern Festival is quite convenient - You can access the festival from either the Ximen MRT station (西門捷運站) or from Taipei Main Station (台北車站).

A large crowd wondering where all the lanterns are... 

The issue is that with the amount of people who go to the annual festival, the amount of congestion makes it almost unbearable, especially when you have to cross large streets to visit the different sections. 

In another break with tradition, the lanterns which the festival is dedicated to are actually few and far between and the city has decided to focus on impressive light shows. 

While the Lantern Festival has only been on for a few days, the media and the internet have exploded with criticism of not only the location of the venue but the focus on light shows rather than lanterns. The festival has been compared to Taipei’s (somewhat) failed attempt at holding a “Nuit Blanche” (白晝之夜) art festival last October.

The most universally criticized aspect of this years Lantern Festival is the “lantern” that represents Lin Mo Niang (林默娘), the woman who is more popularly known in Taiwan as the Goddess Mazu (媽祖). The eight meter high image of the goddess has been designed to look like a Japanese cartoon and has ignited a lot of criticism of not only the design but the “dead-looking eyes” of the goddess who is known as Taiwan’s protector deity. 

News Link: 台北燈節林默娘長這樣 網友驚:媽祖還是鬼娃?

As the Lantern Festival was spread out over a large area and because there were far too many people and not enough to see, I didn't spend a whole lot of time taking photos this year. I made sure to visit the area where there were lanterns made by young Taiwanese students and checked out some of the light shows, but I didn't stick around for any of the performances or the parades. I didn't get many photos of the chickens or the eggs, but I think the lanterns created by Taiwan's young students were the highlight of the festival.  

As usual the city government and the organizers of the festival put a lot of work into organizing the festival and planning fun and interesting events for the people who attend. The location and the lack of lanterns however make this years event somewhat disappointing but there is always something to see and the experience of visiting Taipei's lantern festival is always an interesting one. The festival will go on for the next ten days, so if you’re in Taipei and have free time, head over to check it out. 

2017 Taipei Lantern Festival Website: English | 中文 


Taipei Tian Hou Temple (台北天后宮)

The oldest district in the modern metropolis of Taipei goes by many names - To some it is “Bangka” (Báng-kah khu) or “Monga” (艋舺) and to others it is “Wanhua” (萬華區). Whatever you prefer to call the district, it is one of the most important districts in the city and is steeped in history, culture and religion.

Once one of the most prosperous districts in the city due to its proximity to the Xindian River (新店溪), the district served as a centre of commerce for over three hundred years. The area was originally settled by the Pinpu Kaitakela tribe, then Hokkien (閩南人) immigrants from Fujian Province and most recently by Chinese refugees of the civil war.

The district has suffered from a period of decline over the past few decades, yet efforts are being made by the local government to spruce things up, reinvent its image and make Bangka a cool place to visit for people of all ages!

The district is well-known for its treasure trove of historic sites which notably include Longshan Temple and the recently refurbished Bopiliao Historic Street (剝皮寮老街).

On the other hand, Bangka is also home to the popular Ximending Shopping District (西門町), Taipei’s answer to the hip and modern Shibuya shopping district in Tokyo where all of the latest fashion, technology and cuisine meet to offer a great shopping experience for those who visit.

The history of Bangka would not be what it is though without the influence of its 'Big Three Temples' (艋舺三大廟門) which have served not only as important places of worship but also as the glue that helped to preserve the cultural heritage and traditions of one of Taiwan's largest groups of immigrants alive for the past few centuries.

I've blogged in the past about a few of Bangka's other famous temples which include Longshan Temple (艋舺龍山寺), Qingshan Temple (艋舺青山宮) and Qingshui Temple (艋舺清水巖) but today I will be focusing on Taipei's Tian Hou Temple (台北天后宮).

The Main Shrine Room

Taipei's Tian Hou Temple, which is also known by locals as the "Ximending Mazu Temple" (西門町媽祖廟) is one that is easy to miss as it sits in an obscure and almost hidden location in the bustling Ximending shopping district. Most tourists pass by the temple and don't actually even realize that it is there.

The entrance to the temple looks like the entrance to a normal building, with a few lanterns on the outside and a temple plaque which indicate that a temple is inside. To reach the temple you have to walk through a small tunnel-like corridor which opens up to an open courtyard with a beautiful temple that surprised even me on my first visit. You would never expect to find a place like this in the middle of Ximending and is part of why I'm so fond of it.

The words "Tian Hou" (天后) in the temple's name translate as "Heavenly Queen" and refer to the goddess Mazu (媽祖), the principle deity of the temple and one who is an extremely popular deity in Taiwan.

It is estimated that there are over 1000 different locations to worship Mazu in Taiwan with temples dedicated solely in her honour as well as having shrines set up in other temples as well giant statues in various spots throughout the country. Mazu worship is an important part of life in Taiwan and as time has passed, the goddess has become known as a patron saint of the country.

History

Looking towards the entrance to the temple. 

There are many temples dedicated to Mazu worship all over the country but the name "Tian Hou Temple" (天后宮) however is one that has become synonymous with worship of the sea goddess and has been an important part of Taiwanese culture since 1593.

The first 'Tian Hou Temple' was constructed on the offshore islands of Peng Hu (澎湖) and the next one in 1664 in Tainan. Since then, many other Tian Hou temples have been constructed all over the country with the Taipei branch being a young one at over 270 years old.

Originally constructed in 1746, the temple is technically one of the oldest in the city yet, like a lot of Taipei's other major places of worship, the structure you see today has had to be rebuilt on more than one occasion, has changed locations and strangely enough has become a story of two different temples from two different religions merging into one.

Temple's like Longshan Temple and Bao-An Temple have also experienced their fair share of misfortune over the past few centuries, but I have to say that the history of Taipei's Tian Hou Temple is probably one of the most interesting (and confusing) of the temples I've researched so far!

I'll lay out the reasons why I think the history of this temple is particularly interesting in a timeline to hopefully give a less confusing idea of what happened:

The Tiger General Army

 1746 (乾隆11年) - Hsin-Hsing Temple (新興宮)

Taipei's "Mazu Temple" was originally constructed with the name "Hsin-Hsing Temple" (新興宮) after funds were collected from immigrant merchants hailing from Quanzhou (泉州) in Fujian Province. These immigrants were some of the same people who funded the construction of Longshan Temple, Qingshan Temple and Qingshui Temple and helped to build a spiritual network for the Hokkien people who settled in the area.

1813 (嘉慶十八年) - Hsin-Hsing Temple (新興宮)

Hsin-Hsing temple was completely destroyed in a fire and reconstructed over a period of 12 years.

1899 (明治32年) - Hong-Fa Temple (弘法寺)

In 1899, a Zen Buddhist temple in the Shingon Tradition (真言宗) was built in Ximending as a mission to help with the spread Buddhism in Taiwan. The mission was to become part of what would eventually a concerted effort by the colonial government to convert the locals into Japanese citizens.

1910 (明治43年) - Hong-Fa Temple (弘法寺)

The mission was renamed "Hong-Fa Temple" (弘法寺) in honour of the prolific Japanese Buddhist monk Kōbō-Daishi (弘法大師) who helped spread Buddhism in Japan. Interestingly, Kōbō-Daishi is still worshipped at Tian Hou Temple today, a nod to the temple's history.

1943 (昭和十八年) - Hsin-Hsing Temple (新興宮)

In order to protect Japan and its interests in Taiwan and in the Pacific, the Japanese constructed several air strips throughout the country and began to further build up its military presence. In order to construct an airstrip close to the Governors Residence (Now Taiwan's Presidential Palace) the Japanese demolished Hsin-Hsing Temple. The statues inside would be moved to nearby Longshan Temple for safekeeping.

The reds in this temple are beautiful. 

1948 (民國37年) - Hong Fa Temple becomes the Taipei Mazu temple.

After Japan's cessation of Taiwan, the Republic of China government in Nanjing haphazardly decided that the Japanese designed Hong Fa temple would be reclaimed and the former Hsin-Hsing temple would move in and take control of the grounds.

This decision met with controversy with the local population due to the fact that Hong-Fa Temple was designed by the Japanese and did not follow the rules of Feng-Shui which made it unsuitable.

1953 (民國42年) - Taiwan Tian Hou Temple (臺灣省天后宮)

A fire completely destroys the temple which ends up offering the locals a chance to redesign the temple and its grounds according to Feng Shui and traditional design.

1959 (民國48年) - Taiwan Tian Hou Temple (臺灣省天后宮)

On the 1000 year anniversary of Mazu's birth, the temple reconstruction is completed and opens to the public just in time for celebrations.

1967 (民國56年) - Taipei Tian Hou Temple (台北天后宮)

Taipei City officially becomes a municipality and the temple is renamed "Taipei Tian Hou Temple" by the city government.

Mazu Worship

The Heavenly Goddess herself. 

Mazu, the goddess of the sea is a popular folk religion deity who is worshipped by the people's of Taiwan, Southern China, Malaysia and Singapore.

As a deity, she is thought to travel the seas protecting her believers which for Taiwan (as an island nation) was important with its early sea-based economy. Mazu worship has been a popular aspect of life in the country for hundreds of years with over a thousand temples or shrines dedicated to her.

As the patron deity of Taiwan, Mazu worship is said to be the 'glue' which binds together the people of various ethnicities as well as being the foundation for Taiwan's evolving culture and national identity.

I'm not sure how much of this is true, but there is no doubt that Mazu is an important figure in Taiwan and the respect that is given to her often trumps that of all of the other important deities worshipped throughout the country. Statistics show that before 1980 there were only 509 temples or shrines in Taiwan dedicated in her honour compared to the over one thousand today.

Mazu worship has been a popular aspect of Taiwanese history for hundreds of years, but that worship shows no history of slowing down and is now more popular than it has ever been.

Mazu, who in life was named Lin Moniang (林默娘) is thought to have been born on (my birthday) March 23rd in the year 960 in China's Fujian Province. Despite living a short life, legends are told of how she performed several miracles saving seafaring people from ultimate doom with her skills before ultimately ascending to the heavens as a deity.

In all of the legends that tell of Mazu's life, she was unmarried and a virgin by choice. She is described as a pious young woman who worshipped the Goddess Guanyin (觀音) and was a person filled with kindness and compassion for all living beings.

She is said to have been an extremely proficient swimmer who had supernatural gifts and was born into a family that made its living by the sea.

Mazu is believed to have died at the young age of 27 yet stories of her death differ. Some people believe that she died while attempting to rescue her family who were out at sea during a typhoon while others believe she climbed a mountain and ascended into heaven on her own.

If you are interested in learning more about Mazu worship and the legends surrounding her life and death check out this very well-detailed Wikipedia article about her: Mazu (Goddess) 

Kobo Daichi (弘法大師)

Kobo-Daishi

When the Chinese Nationalists retreated to Taiwan in 1949 at the end of the Chinese Civil War, they attempted to erase the influence of Japanese culture, religion and language and impose Mandarin upon the people. This campaign led to the destruction of many Buddhist and Shinto temples all around the country but due to a lack of housing, some buildings were spared in the purge.

Its interesting to note however that Taipei's Tian Hou Temple gives not only a nod to Taiwan's history, but its own history by allowing space for a statue dedicated to Kōbō-Daishi.

Kōbō-Daishi, who is also known as Kukai (空海) was a prolific figure in Japanese history who served not only as a Buddhist monk but a civil servant, scholar, poet and artist.

Kukai, who received an education in Chinese classics was not only well-versed in Buddhism but also Confucianism and Taoism. He travelled to China and spent a period of time living and studying in temple there where he studied various forms of Buddhism as well as learning Sanskrit and translating texts to bring back with him to Japan.

He is remembered today for his founding of the Shingon (真言宗) or “True Word" school of Zen Buddhism as well as his contributions to improving Japanese society through the creation of the "kana" syllable system which is still used today as well as the founding of Japan's first public schools.

Kōbō-Daishi has become a legendary figure in Japan and while his legacy may be debatable, he is still arguably the most important Buddhist monk in Japan's history and his contributions to Japanese society cannot be overlooked.

The shrine dedicated to him in Taipei's Tian Hou Temple is not only a nod to his importance, but also to the history of the temple which in its present location was once the headquarters for Shingon Buddhism in Taiwan.

English language guide books may not spend much time talking about this temple, but if you visit you are sure to meet Japanese tourists who visit the temple to show their appreciation for the shared history and culture between the two nations.

Shrines

While the temple is dedicated primarily to the goddess Mazu, like most temples in Taiwan, there are of course several shrines in the building which are dedicated to a mixture of folk-religion, Taoist and Buddhist figures of importance.

Main Hall (正殿)

Main Shrine Room:

Right Shrine (左龕):Guanyin (觀音佛祖), Child Birth Goddess (註生娘娘)

 Main Shrine: Mazu (天上聖母), All-Seeing General (千里眼), All-Hearing General (順風耳)

Left Shrine (右龕): Lord Guan (關聖帝君), The God of Literature (文昌帝君)

Outer Hall Shrines:

Right Shrine (左側殿): Kōbō-Daishi (弘法大師), Ksitigarbha (地藏王菩薩)

Left Shrine (右側殿):Earth God (福德正神), The Tiger Generals (虎爺)

Second Floor Shrine:

Jade Emperor Hall (玉皇殿):The Jade Emperor (玉皇大帝), Emperors of the Three Offices (三官大帝), Lord of the Sun (太陽星君), Lord of the Moon (太陰星君)

In conclusion, have to ask the question: When is a 270 year old temple not a 270 year old temple?

There are some people who would argue that the building is not actually as important as the idols, traditions or the organization that makes it what it is. For me, I look at the timeline and have a hard time telling people that this temple is as old as people claim it to be.

I will admit though that even after researching and studying temple culture in Taiwan for the past few years, I sometimes feel like I don't really understand a lot of what is going on.

There are times when I think I really don't know anything - This is one of those times!

I read a lot of the literature provided by temples as well as reading books and checking online sources but I've found that the claims made by some of these places seem to be much more grand than they really are.

Taipei's Tian Hou Temple is a perfect example of such grand claims. Admittedly, there is a complicated 270 year history of Mazu worship in Bangka, but it is a stretch to say that this specific temple is as old as they claim it to be.

What I will say about this Tian Hou Gong is that there is still an extremely interesting history and that is where I think the focus should be.

This temple has a history that spans the modern history and development of this country from the Qing Dynasty to Japanese Colonial Era to the current era. Each era brought with it changes that the temple could not escape yet it still stands there today in the middle of Ximending.

Let's not waste time worrying about ostentatious claims and think more about the relationship the temple has shared with the development of Taipei which saw a nearly empty patch of land turn into a modern metropolis thanks to the efforts of the immigrants who came here to start a new life.