Dalongdong Baoan Temple
Main Deities
About
A temple can win an international award simply for how well it was restored — and Dalongdong Baoan Temple did exactly that. This old temple in Taipei's Datong District insisted on traditional craftsmanship during its restoration rather than the shortcuts of modern quick-fix materials, and in 2003 it earned a UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Award for Culture Heritage Conservation, becoming a model for temple restoration in Taiwan. It is dedicated to the medicine god Baosheng Dadi, and its walls carry murals by the national-treasure master Pan Li-shui, alongside exquisite Koji pottery and wood carving. With less of the clamor of an ordinary temple and more of a scholarly grace, walking in feels like stepping into a quiet hall of art.
History
In 1742, during the Qianlong reign, immigrants from Tongan brought a divided incense of Baosheng Dadi from the Baijiao Ciji Temple in Quanzhou Prefecture, Fujian, to Dalongdong — at first only a small wooden shrine. As the Dalongdong area prospered, the temple was expanded again and again: rebuilt in 1805 as a three-hall stone temple, then refined through the Jiaqing and Daoguang eras into the layout we see today. What truly spread Baoan Temple's fame was the seven-year restoration from 1995 to 2002 — the temple insisted on traditional methods, repairing brick by brick, and the result won the 2003 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Award for Culture Heritage Conservation. Its annual 'Baosheng Cultural Festival' still preserves the 'Fire Lion' rite found nowhere else in Taiwan — a blaze of firelight to drive off evil and pray for blessings, a rare and precious folk tradition.
Dalongdong Baoan Temple
Datong District, Taipei City
Visitor Info
Address
No. 61, Hami St, Datong District, Taipei City
Region
Datong District, Taipei City