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In other temples incense smoke hangs thick in the air; inside Xingtian Temple you won't catch a single wisp. This 'Enzhugong Temple' in Taipei's Zhongshan District was a pioneer — back in 2014 it banned incense and the burning of joss paper entirely, asking worshippers simply to press their palms together in prayer. Dedicated to Guansheng Dijun (Lord Guan), it does everything the opposite way: no donation boxes, no animal offerings, only the belief that 'sincerity, not offerings, moves the gods.' The architecture is imposing yet so plain it is almost free of ornate carving, which only deepens its solemnity. What stays with visitors most are the blue-robed volunteers: when the mind is unsettled or fortunes are low, many come to line up for their 'soul-calming' (shoujing) rite, seeking a measure of peace for body and spirit.

History

The story of Xingtian Temple begins with a lay devotee named Huang Cong, whom followers revered as 'Master Xuan Kong.' He vowed to build a temple to Guansheng Dijun, and only after three separate construction efforts did the present temple rise on this site in 1967. Compared with the many centuries-old temples around it, Xingtian is young, yet its rigorous management and reputation for answered prayers soon made it one of the most visited temples in northern Taiwan. Master Xuan Kong gave away his entire fortune to build it and laid down many rules urging people toward goodness — the most far-reaching being the 2014 decision to lead the way in banning incense and joss paper, replacing the traditional smoke with pressed palms and sparking an environmental movement among Taiwan's temples. As for the famous 'soul-calming' service, it still draws crowds every single day, and has become Xingtian Temple's most vivid everyday sight.

Xingtian Temple

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