Cherry Blossoms (2018)

I've been in back in Taiwan for well over a month now, but when faced with the amount of photos that I took during my month in Europe, I can honestly say that I've been a bit reluctant to take my camera out to take new photos.

The first few months of the year are traditionally a busy part of the year for myself with the Lunar New Year festivities, the Dihua Street Market, Lantern Festival, Cherry Blossom season or any of the several temple festivals that are lined up in a relatively short period of time. This year however, I decided that I'd take a break from what has become my yearly routine to spend time instead catching up on other work.

I've been a bit drained both physically and emotionally as the last few months of last year and my month-long Euro-trip through Ireland, England and Italy were a bit exhausting for me. So, instead of doing what I usually do, I've been shut in my apartment catching up on work and relaxing rather than going out in what has been a strange winter in terms of weather here in Taiwan. 

Coincidentally I received a letter in the mail earlier this week that concluded one of the most annoying aspects of 2017 - I had been waiting on this confirmation for quite a while, so when I received it and read the contents, I was quite content. Not that I ever had any doubt.

I won't really elaborate much on the subject, but will just say that you have to be extremely careful when you are dealing with people. I try to be a humble person who tries my best to help people learn about Taiwan through my photography, my years of experience here as well as using my language ability to provide information to people that they might not find elsewhere - this isn't always appreciated however and some people become jealous and get triggered by this stuff, so I've had to adjust a bit to make life a bit harmonious. 

With all of that crap out of the way and finally being caught up on work, I decided to pack up my camera bag a few times over the last week to check out a few locations where cherry blossoms, otherwise known as sakura are still in bloom. As I mentioned above, the weather has been a bit strange this year and that has affected the yearly cherry blossom season in terms of its timing and how long the frail blossoms have been lasting on the trees. 

I've written several times in the past about the cherry blossom season, so if you are interested in checking out any of the locations where they are still in bloom, I recommend checking out the Taiwan Sakura Guide that I wrote last year that also includes an interactive map with locations so that you can make plans as time is running out. 

This year I visited two locations, one which I go to every year and features beautiful Taiwan Cherry Blossoms as well as a location in the mountains of New Taipei City's Sanxia District which has recently become quite popular with locals. Below I'll share photos from each location and a bit of information as well.

Over the next few weeks I'm going to start posting photos and blogs about some of the places I visited in Europe! 

Enjoy!  

Zhongli, Taoyuan (中壢莒光公園)

One of my go-to locations for cherry blossoms is a beautiful little park here in Zhongli that has beautiful cherry trees lining the river. The indigenous Taiwanese Mountain Sakura (台灣山櫻花) that bloom in the park are the most common type of cherry blossom in Taiwan and can be found all over the country.

The flowers are a dark shade of pink and when you are in an area where there are quite a few trees it can be one of the most beautiful experiences of your life.

Even though some people are led to believe that Taoyuan is an area of Taiwan that has nothing to speak of in terms of natural beauty, you'd be surprised to find out that the area is home to not only Cherry Blossoms, but also Tung Blossoms, Plum Blossoms and Peach Blossoms which all bloom in the early stages of the year. 

The blooming period for these specific cherry blossoms is between January and March, but this year they have bloomed a bit late, so you might still be able to see them in late March. I see trees blooming all over the place on my daily commutes, so they are still around as of the early part of this month. Get out quickly if you want to see them! 

Sanxia (三峽熊空樱花林)

One of the most popular cherry blossom viewing locations over the past couple years has been on a mountain in New Taipei City's Sanxia District (三峽區). The location, which is known as a bit of a "secret" (秘境) is probably the worst-kept secret in all of Taiwan. During the blooming season, the narrow mountain roads that lead up to this area are packed with insane amounts of traffic that allow people who live in northern Taiwan a chance to see not only one type of cherry blossom, but several. 

The area, which is actually known as the Xiong-Kong Sakura Forest (熊空櫻花林) and not the "Super Sanxia Secret Sakura Area" (三峽秘境) boasts over five different types of cherry blossoms, which have different blooming seasons, but can be seen together at some point. The blossoms which include Taiwan Sakura (台灣山櫻花), Yoshino Cherries (吉野櫻), Double-layer Sakura (八重櫻), Fuji Sakura (富士櫻) and Showa Sakura (昭和櫻) which together make the mountains in the area a beautiful hodge-podge of colour. 

Unfortunately when I visited the area, most of the blossoms had succumbed to the weather and a few species were yet to bloom, so it was probably not the best time to visit. I'm happy though that I visited and I'm putting this specific location on my list of places to visit next year when cherry blossom season rolls around! 

Almost all gone. 

Ping Chen, Taoyuan (平鎮和平公園 / 三崇宮) 

Over the past week or so quite a lot of people have been taking the very long drive way up into the mountains of Taoyuan to the beautiful Lalashan Forest Area to check out the late-blooming Showa Sakura (昭和櫻) which blooms in abundance there.

You don't really have to drive all the way up into the mountains to see these cherry blossoms however as they have been planted in many places all over the country.

Yangminshan is a popular and easily accessible location for this specific variety, but here in Taoyuan you can easily find them in many of the areas parks.

I visited Ping Chen's Peace Park (和平公園) as well as Sanchong Temple (三崇宮) which are popular destinations for locals looking to see these blossoms without going too far from home. 

Cherry Blossom Map (台灣櫻花地圖)

Below is the map I made last year of different locations to view cherry blossoms around Taiwan - If you are looking for a place to visit, just check the map and find the location closest to you - Be sure to check out the Taiwan Sakura Guide that I wrote as well to get information about some of the most popular locations! 


The Confucius Temples of Taiwan (臺灣的孔廟)

There are few sights more common in Taiwan than that of its convenience stores and temples. The nation is home to the highest density of both per capita than any other in the world. Sometimes when you’re walking around it seems as if you’ll find a 7-11 on every street corner.

Taiwan is a very convenient place to live and even more so if you’re religious with more than 12,000 registered temples around the country - higher than the number of convenience stores!

If you are a visitor to Taiwan, one of the things you’ll quickly learn to appreciate is the attention to detail you’ll find in the temples here. A visit to one of the nation’s Taoist or Folk Religion temples is often awe inspiring for people unfamiliar with the architectural and artistic detail of these halls of worship.

Of the over twelve thousand temples that you’ll find around the country, around 80% of them are dedicated to Taoism and Chinese folk religion while the remaining 20% are either Buddhist or dedicated to philosophers like Confucius.

One of the most beautiful things about religious worship in Taiwan though is that even if you’re a Buddhist, you can still visit a Taoist temple and find a place to worship freely. The religious experience here in Taiwan can be an exciting one but also one that is harmonious.

Visiting a Taiwanese temple is an excellent opportunity that affords gives outsiders the chance to better understand the diverse cultures of this tiny island nation.

While the majority of Taiwan’s temples tend to be ‘loud’ in terms of both their noise level and their attention to artistic and architectural detail, you are still able to find places that are much quieter and a lot more peaceful.

If peace, quiet and a ‘zen-like’ experience is what you prefer, then a visit to one of Taiwan’s Confucius Temples is exactly what you’re looking for. Temples dedicated to Confucius, who was one of the most important Chinese philosophers and educators to have ever lived, are a stark contrast to what you’ll find at other local temples and stress uniformity and simplicity while adhering strictly to the concepts of traditional Chinese architecture.

Temples dedicated to Confucius are common sights throughout many Asian countries and even though some of them may add regional elements to their design, most of them are uniform in their design which is based off of the type of architecture popular during the Song Dynasty (宋朝 - 960-1279) and are more importantly modelled after the first Confucius Temple in China’s Shandong Province (山東省) where Confucius and his descendants are buried and has an over 1500 year history, making it one of the oldest temples in China. 

Link: Confucius Temples Sacrifices and Rites

Here in Taiwan, the history of Confucius Temples is considerably shorter with the first one being constructed around 350 years ago. With that in mind however its important to note that the temples dedicated to the sage have played interesting historical roles in the various eras of Taiwan’s modern development and in some cases can be a bit confusing (and also unimportant) to the average tourist.

Like the original temple in Qufu (曲阜), most of the Confucius Temple’s in Taiwan have been expanded upon, renovated and reconstructed several times over their history. Visitors to these temples have to keep in mind that what you see today is often much different than what you would have seen when they were first constructed.

Despite the fact that some of the structures you are able to visit today aren’t always as ‘historic’ as they claim to be, the important thing to keep in mind is that each of these temples has an interesting story to tell and the most important thing to consider isn’t always the age of the building but the important role they have played in Taiwan’s history.

History

The history of Confucius Temples in Taiwan can to be divided up into two different periods - specifically anything between 1665-1945 or from 1945 until the present day. To put it more simply - the years prior to the Chinese Nationalists arrival in Taiwan and the years after.

You may think, oh no, he’s going to get political - but in the case of Confucius Temples, its difficult to separate the politics of the era from these temples, which are themselves very political in nature.

The first Confucius Temple in Taiwan was constructed in Tainan during the Kingdom of Tungning (東寧王國) when Koxinga (鄭成功) and his Ming-loyalist army fled to Taiwan after the Qing came to power in China. Koxinga placed quite a bit of importance on Confucian thought and philosophy and the construction of a shrine, where Imperial Examinations (科舉) could be held was important to the fledgling ‘kingdom’ which sought to keep up the traditions of the Ming dynasty.

When the Qing came to Taiwan a few more temples were constructed around in the island in the areas where they controlled - for the most part however Confucius worship was limited to “Academic Academies” (書院) which were private schools devoted to higher learning and the promotion of Chinese classics, literature, philosophy, ethics, etc.

The Academic Academies that were constructed around the island were often built in a way that could be considered similar to the set up of a Confucius Temple, but the design of the schools was never as strictly adhered to in the same way a Confucius Temple was and it was common for them to also have shrines dedicated to Taoist literature deities.

Today only a few of these academies remain in existence around the country but for the most part they have slowly disappeared with the passage of time. 

Links: Visits to Huangxi Academy (磺溪書院) and Daodong Academy (道東書院)

The Confucius Temples constructed after the Chinese Nationalists fled to Taiwan, of which are in the majority at this point, were built between 1958 and 1985 in a time when the government sought to forcibly impose traditional Chinese culture on the local citizens of Taiwan.

In 1966, as a response to the insanity of the Cultural Revolution (文化大革命) in China which threatened to destroy the over 5000 years of Chinese history, the KMT initiated the “Chinese Cultural Renaissance” (中華文化復興運動) movement here in Taiwan. The purpose of the movement was meant to not only help preserve traditional Chinese culture but also promote Chinese cultural development in Taiwan and around the world.

One of the goals of the moment was to improve educational standards in the country and put an emphasis on Confucian principles of ‘filial piety’ and ‘fraternal love’. To help achieve this the government started to construct Confucius Temples throughout the country that would not only promote Confucianism but help to keep Classical Chinese architecture and design alive.

The plan was to construct at least one Confucius Temple in every major city or county where one did not already exist - Currently the majority of the temples you will find in Taiwan were either built, renovated or expanded upon after 1966 as part of the Chinese Cultural Renaissance initiative.

It is common, such as in the case of the Taipei Confucius Temple that you will see literature claiming that the temple was constructed in 1881, but in actuality what you see today was a product of the 1960s and not as ‘historic’ as you’d expect and has become somewhat of a forgotten piece of Taiwan’s history that even fools locals.

This isn’t to take away from the temples, they are excellent places to visit - you just have to be a bit careful when considering the history. Confucianism has played an important role in the development of Asian societies for well over a thousand years and continues to play a role in Taiwan with regards to education and ones roles in his or her family.

With the exception of the Taipei and Tainan Confucius Temples, the rest that are on the list below may not be tourist hotspots, but that is part of the reason why I prefer them - They are quiet, peaceful and are great places to visit where you can learn quite a bit.

In all there are over twenty temples dedicated to Confucius in Taiwan - My list however is going to skip over any of those temples that are not strictly dedicated to the sage. I’m also not going to include the small elementary school shrines which are common in the south of Taiwan. The list consists of seventeen temples of which ten are publicly owned and another five that are private - but still open to the public.

I still have a few of these temples to visit, take photos of and write about, so I plan to update this space several times in the future. I hope that this provides a useful English-language resource for people who want to visit and learn more about these temples as information about them tends to be a bit convoluted. 


Public Temples (官立)

  1. Taipei Confucius Temple (台北孔廟) 1881, 1960

  2. Yilan Confucius Temple (宜蘭孔廟) 1868, 1958

  3. Taoyuan Confucius Temple (桃園孔廟) 1985

  4. Hsinchu Confucius Temple (新竹孔廟) 1958

  5. Taichung Confucius Temple (臺中孔廟) 1976

  6. Changhua Confucius Temple (彰化孔廟) 1726

  7. Chiayi Confucius Temple (嘉義孔廟) 1964

  8. Tainan Confucius Temple (台南孔廟) 1665, 1989

  9. Kaohsiung Confucius Temple (高雄孔廟) 1976

  10. Fengshan Confucius Shine (鳳山舊城孔子廟) 1686

  11. Qishan Confucius Temple (旗山孔廟) 1985

  12. Pingtung Confucius Temple (屏東孔廟) 1815, 1938

  13. Peng-Hu Confucius Temple (澎湖孔廟) 1766, 1963

Private Temples (私設)

  1. Luodong Confucius Temple (羅東孔子廟) 1966

  2. Miaoli Xiangshan Confucius Temple (象山孔廟) 1901

  3. Nantou Confucius Temple (南投孔廟) 1831

  4. Puli Confucius Temple (埔里孔廟) 1911

Honourable Mention: Okinawa’s Naha Confucius Temple (那霸至聖廟)


Beitou Thermal Valley (北投地熱谷)

Winter is often a miserable time of year for those of us living here in the north of Taiwan. The weather becomes a bit chilly, it rains non-stop and the humidity makes it feel like you’re constantly dripping.

Luckily though, Taiwan’s natural environment provides for a bit of respite from the cold, damp weather in the form of volcanic hot springs which are abundant in places like Wulai (烏來), Jiaoxi (礁溪) and Taipei’s very own Yangmingshan (陽明山) where the people of this country can enjoy a relaxing dip in geothermally heated pools of water that are thought to have therapeutic uses that help with anything from chronic fatigue to soothing to pain of arthritis.

When the Japanese took control of Taiwan, they brought with them a rich and well-developed Hot Spring (onsen) culture and sought to develop Taiwan’s various hot spring locations into popular destinations for rest and relaxation.

Taiwan’s first hot spring hotel opened in Taipei’s Beitou district (北投區) in 1896 only a year after the Japanese took control of the island and from that time on the Japanese love of hot springs has became an inseparable link between the two nations.

Beitou (北投)

The Beitou area of Taipei has since been developed as a resort destination for the people of Taipei with public and private baths, hotels, tea houses and parks set up to cater to visitors. In the past all visitors had to do was take a train from the city to get to the resort, but today it is much more convenient as Beitou (北投站) and Xinbeitou stations (新北投車站) are connected to the popular Taipei Metro System.

If you are travelling to Beitou during the winter or on a weekend, it is important to remember that the Hot Springs resort area is extremely popular and if you are wanting to find a private space in a hotel, it is best to reserve your time ahead of your visit to ensure that space is available.

If you aren’t shy and prefer to save some money, you should probably consider taking the public bath option where you’ll be able to enjoy hot spring culture at its finest. It’s important to remember that each of the public baths may have different etiquette and rules with regard to gender separation and whether or not you’re permitted to wear clothing in the water.

While Hot Springs are the main attraction for visitors to Beitou, there is also quite a bit for people to do when visiting apart from taking a bath. The area has coffee shops, parks, museums, temples and great food as well.

If you are visiting you may want to consider checking out some of the historic Japanese buildings left over from the Colonial Era - The Beitou Hot Springs Museum (北投溫泉博物館) is one of the best examples of modern architecture of that era while Puji Temple (普濟寺) and the Plum Garden (梅庭) are much more traditional.

While visiting the area you may also want to consider checking out some of the museums, which include the Hot Spring Museum, the recently reconstructed Japanese-era Beitou Train Station, the Ketagalan Culture Center (凱達格蘭文化館) or the Taiwan Folk Arts Museum.

One of the coolest attractions however is the Beitou Thermal Valley or “Hell Valley” (地熱谷) which is a short walk away from the resort area and puts on display the awesome power of the natural environment in a way that you may not have ever seen before.

Thermal Valley (地熱谷)

If you are visiting Beitou to take in some Hot Springs, a visit to the Thermal Valley is one of those things that you absolutely have to do in order to really appreciate the awesome power of the geothermal springs in the area.

The Beitou Thermal Valley, otherwise known as “Hell Valley” (地熱谷) in Chinese is a small nature park that is free of charge for visitors and consists solely of a small lake with a fenced off walkway (for your safety). You may not think that sounds very interesting, but the lake is the main attraction and is one of the primary sources of hot spring water for the resort area.

The main attraction of the lake apart from the emerald green colour of the water is probably that of the year-round sulphuric steam that rises up from the water and blankets the valley in a haze of extremely humid fog. If you are visiting during the hot Taiwan summer days, prepare to sweat buckets while walking along the path.

The temperature of the water in the lake varies between 80-100℃ and is considered to be the hottest of any of the hot spring sources in the Datunshan Volcano Group (大屯火山群). The water itself isn’t your typical H2O and contains a number of additional chemical elements, most notably the sodium carbonate which is corrosive (that’s why there are protective barriers) and gives the spring water its beautiful green colour.

In the past, people would bring eggs to the valley to boil them in the hot spring water - Today hard-boiled hot spring eggs (溫泉蛋) are still popular with the people of Taiwan, but for safety reasons it is now prohibited to boil eggs or get close to the water at the Thermal Valley. You can however buy some ‘hot-spring eggs’ at a stop near the entrance of the park, which is highly recommended if you’re a fan of eggs. I’d also recommend trying the hot-spring ramen restaurant “Mankewu Ramen” (滿客屋拉麵) which is also nearby.

Another interesting aspect of the Thermal Valley are the naturally occurring rocks known as Hokutolite or “Beitou Rocks” (北投石) which are strange-looking calcified rocks that come in many strange-looking shapes and sizes. The rocks contain minute traces of strontium and the radioactive element radium and the Thermal Valley is one of the two places in the world where this occurs naturally which is why the area has been protected for conservation.

With this in mind, don’t try to jump the fence and take a swim in the lake - not only will you be cooked alive, you might also come out breathing fire like Godzilla.

If you are planning a trip to the Beitou area for some hot springs, then a visit to the Thermal Valley is recommended. If you’re not going out to Beitou for any particular reason however, I think its probably not really a worth the long MRT ride if you don’t have anything else planned. If you aren’t going for hot springs, but still want to go check out the valley, I’d recommend including a trip to the beautiful Guandu Temple or the Guandu Marshlands for a bike ride along the river. You could also head out to Danshui to check out the popular tourist street there.

Getting There

 

The valley is a ten minute walk away from Xinbeitou MRT Station (新北投捷運站) and isn’t far from the Public Baths or any of the private hotels that offer hot springs. When you leave the MRT station simply just walk straight and you’ll arrive after a short walk. The Thermal Springs are also quite close to the historic Puji Temple, so you may want to check that out as well while you’re there.


Gallery / Flickr (High Res Shots)