Songshan Fengtian Temple — Attraction in Xinyi District

Very beautiful temple with carefully crafted art work, definitely worth visiting. You could spend hours there if you're into art and religion. It's also a good entry point for hiking (stairs on the backside of the building).

Unfortunately, it's also one of many places where people burn incense and joss paper for their religion, thereby forcing visitors and anyone living nearby to inhale carcinogenic material and worsening global warming. Every tax payer will suffer for it because you pay for increasing costs to NHI and government having to combat climate change, not to mention that having lung cancer really, really sucks.

When the tradition to burn joss paper was established, people didn't know that it is harmful to humans and the planet as a whole. If they had, they would likely have found different ways of honoring the dead. Traditions are allowed to evolve and adapt! Adaptation is mankind's success strategy.

Be kind. Don't do harm without thinking. Stop burning joss paper and incense. Your dead relatives will be just fine.

If burning fake money made any rational sense, then why don't you burn real money that is actually worth something? While we're at it, also burn houses and cars so that your dead relatives can live comfortably and drive everywhere in a new Lambo! If I were a dead person, receiving fake monopoly money from my relatives would really...

Chanced upon this temple on the map while reading a blog for the tiger/elephant mountain. There's an entrance to the tiger mountain route right behind the temple, which is less crowded than starting at the elephant mountain.

The temple itself was a grand sight, one of the most beautiful ones I’ve visited - big main hall nested in a fairly large compound, with intricate carvings, and multiple deities in different halls. When we were there on a weekday morning, there were no other tourists; only saw local devotees which is always a great sign. No entrance fees, just make a donation if you felt called to do so.

Peaceful and surreal environment - highly recommended stop if you're staying in taipei city. It's a short taxi or bus ride...

🇮🇹 Tempio davvero suggestivo ed esteticamente a dir poco elegante e sorprendente, dalle colonne minuziosamente intarsiate al soffitto color oro. Il personale è veramente gentile e disponibile; i locali fanno una sorta di percorso spirituale, che li porta a chiedere ai vari déi aiuto o buona sorte nei campi più disparati, e a ricevere dei "santini" dello spirito o divinità che si abbina a loro in base a data e luogo di nascita: sia io che i miei genitori abbiamo intrapreso questo piccolo percorso, ed è stato divertente, perché il personale non è abituato a turisti che si cimentano in prima persona nelle loro attività di culto (anche solo per curiosità, come nel nostro caso), per ciò non posso fare a meno di consigliarvi l'esperienza. L'atmosfera che si respira è unica e molto piacevole. ASSOLUTAMENTE da visitare durante il vostro soggiorno a Taipei.

🇬🇧 A truly evocative temple, aesthetically elegant and surprising, to say the least, from the meticulously carved columns to the gold-colored ceiling. The staff is truly kind and helpful; the locals follow a sort of spiritual journey, which leads them to ask the various gods for help or good fortune in the most diverse fields, and to receive "holy cards" of the spirit or deity that matches them based on their date and place of birth. Both my parents and I took this little journey, and it was fun, as the staff isn't used to tourists engaging in their religious activities firsthand (even just out of curiosity, as in our case), so I can't help but recommend the experience. The atmosphere is unique and very pleasant. ABSOLUTELY worth a visit during your...