Posted by tainancity on August 15, 2010 · Leave a Comment
Beiji Temple (Bēijí Diàn 北極殿) Commonly translated as the “North Pole Palace” or “Arctic Palace,” Beiji Temple is Tainan’s premier place of worship for honoring the Emperor of Mysterious Heaven, known as Xuán Wǔ (玄武) or Xuán Tiān Shàng Dì (玄天上帝). The temple is one of Tainan’s oldest, dating back to the arrival Zhèng Chénggōng … Continue reading →
Posted by tainancity on January 29, 2010 · 2 Comments
Official God of War Temple (Sì Diǎn Wǔ Miào 祀典武廟) The Official God of War Temple is the one with the long, red-ochre wall that’s across from Chikan Lou. That’s the feature that I always think of when it comes to this temple. It’s rare to have the side of a temple fully exposed, and few of them have so nice a … Continue reading →
Filed under Temples · Tagged with Chikan, Grand Matsu Temple, Guan Di, Guan Gong, Guan Yin, Guan Yu, historic, horse-god temple, Official God of War Temple, Sacrificial Rites Martial Temple, si dian wi miao, Tainan, Taiwan, temple, The Prince of Ningjing, tourist, Yue Lao
Posted by tainancity on December 28, 2009 · 3 Comments
Tainan Grand Matsu Temple (Dà Tiānhòu Gōng 大天后宮) The goddess Matsu is one of the most important deities in Taiwan. It’s a simple equation, really: Goddess of the Sea + Taiwan being an island = high status among worshippers. Matsu was already important among the coastal Fujianese before crossing the straight, but the perilous journey from … Continue reading →
Filed under Temples · Tagged with architecture, Chikan, da tienhou gong, deity, five concubines, goddess, Goddess of the Sea, Grand Matsu Temple, historic, information, mansion, Matsu, old building, palace, shrine, site, Tainan, Taiwan, temple, The Prince of Ningjing, tourist, Zheng Chenggong, Zheng Jing, Zhu Shugui
Posted by tainancity on November 24, 2009 · 5 Comments
Temple of the Five Concubines (Wǔfēi Miào 五妃廟) Unlike urban cemeteries in Europe where you can find people sitting next to grave stones and reading books, Taiwanese people are far too superstitious to treat a grave site as a park. The very idea of entering a cemetery for any purpose other than to clean the tomb and … Continue reading →
Filed under Temples · Tagged with architecture, attraction, Chikan, Confucian Temple, historic, Koxinga, shrine, site, Tainan, Taiwan, Temple of the Five Concubines, Temple of the Noble Ladies, The Prince of Ningjing, tomb, tourist, Wufei Miao, Wufei Street, Wufei Temple, Zheng Chenggong, Zheng Jing, Zhu Shugui