Day Three was our first day visiting Taipei’s temples, although I had a sneak peek the night before as I had visited the local temple dedicated to Mazu, Tianhou Temple, with Malli and Prof. Young. It’s deceptively small on the outside, but it opens up into a wide courtyard with a waterfall leading to a koi pond and an open area for worship and divination once you step in. This temple also had the strongest scent of incense: Xingtian, the second temple we visited on Day Three, was one of the first to stop offering incense for environmental services. In the very back, surrounded by pillars of offerings and flanked by two other gods, one could see the veiled figure of Mazu, the sea goddess. After hearing about her particular significance to the people of Taiwan, whose ancestors had traveled across the treacherous Taiwan strait to arrive at the island, it was gratifying to finally see her in such a setting. I’ll have to go back sometime to show the others and visit the second floor, which had more deities and services offered.
The morning after, we visited Longshan Temple first. It was nestled right in the center of a bustling city block, which consisted of remnant architecture from both the Japanese occupation and the Qing dynasty yet was also posed right across from the nearest train station (though that was built to match the arched roofs of the temple). Such arched roofs are a sign that the temple is built in a Daoist style rather than Buddhist, which are flatter. Yet the inside of the temple demonstrated syncretism between Daoist, Buddhist, and even Shinto practices. Beyond the tall, mossy waterfall that led to the koi fish pond you see pictured below, there lay a courtyard with a large incense burner and a central hall. One could turn a charm, amulet, or bracelet around one of the burners (although there was only one that day), to receive blessing and protection. Inside the central hall resided the deities of the temple, of which the main was Guanyin, a Buddhist Bodhisattva. Mazu was also present, though in an image rather than as a figure; one would see her along with many others if they followed the typical counterclockwise path around the temple. I also learned of a star deity who must be appeased if he (as he was the star) crossed paths with your birth star. This deity was also not a figure, but a tablet with astronomical imagery and writing, something like a Confucian style I believe.
Afterwards, we visited Xingtian temple, which had a similarly ornate, Daoist exterior but was vast and heterogenous inside. We learned here that the dragons and fish that adorn such roofs are said to protect against fire hazards that threaten the wooden temples. This temple had a much larger front courtyard than the last, yet almost every inch of space was utilized by the local people and the tourists. I saw many elderly women gathered around vents that sprayed mist into the air, and I had to join them at one point when I was overcome by the heat. A rope separated rows of desks in the back with Buddhist chants and sutras that female volunteers were welcome to read, as seen in the second photo below, but I did not check to see if there was a male counterpart on the other side of the courtyard. Besides the segregation between monks and nuns, there are some other disparate roles amongst volunteers and disciples in this way. There were many such disciples throughout the courtyard. One approached us while we were looking at the koi pond and told us that the fish were 40 years old! Many things were happening at once, as it is such a large space: a Buddhist sermon was being read in one room, blessed water was being handed out in the back, and of course many people were worshipping either the Heavenly King while facing the doors or the resident deities, including the war god Guan Yu (who was a historical general) while facing the central hall.
As a sweet respite from all the travel and learning, our guide Peter took us to a nearby Mongolian Barbecue place. Not only did they have all-you-can-eat barbecue (where you piled your meat and veggies and sauce into a bowl and they cooked it in front of you), but they also provided hotpot ingredients, dim-sum, and many drink and dessert options. And all of this only costed USD$13! Like the buffet at the hotel, the only ask was to get at least 5 plates. Unfortunately, I only made it to about 3 this time before I felt like I was going to explode. I ended up only getting a small dinner that night at an ambient brunch/dinner place near our hotel, but it was the most delicious truffle tofu I’ve ever had.
We then drove to see the changing of the guards at the Martyrs’ Shrine and then the National Palace Museum. On the way, Peter told us stories of his two years in the army and what it is like for the young men who serve for one year today. It gave me a lot of perspective on how much things can change in only a few decades, especially in Taiwan. You can see a short clip of the ceremony in the video below: I noted that this ritual has been done for so long that the path has been scuffed into dark lines along the brick. I can imagine standing in that same position, still as a statue, for one hour (and it used to be two!), and I can say with certainty that I would cramp or pass out within 15 minutes in that heat. I salute those men who hold this honored position, not just in Taiwan but also back at home.
The National Palace Museum was very busy, but we learned so much and got to see pretty much all of it within an hour and a half window due to Peter’s excellent guidance. He made sure to show us many of the big hitters: the ivory ball, the tomb figurine, the jadeite cabbage (not shown), and the revolving vase. The museum contains so many treasures dating all the way back to the days when contracts were cast in bronze. I was lucky to see many of these pieces up close and witness the immense level of detail that went into each. I got to experience glimpses of what life was like in the palace and amongst the royal family throughout the dynasties, and I find myself wondering which artistic techniques I might now notice in our future visits.
