Dalongdong Bao'an Temple 大龍峒保安宮
Originally constructed in 1742 as a wooden shrine, the Bao'an Temple is a Taiwanese folk religion temple. Throughout Taiwan's history, the temple was renovated and reconstructed numerous times, leading to a 2003 induction into UNESCO for cultural heritage conservation.
Dedicated to the Taoist saint Baosheng Dadi (保生大帝), the 900 SQ METRE large temple faces south, in line with Feng-Shui practices, and houses the front, main, and rear halls, along with the east and west halls. The buildings also run from tallest to shortest in that order, in observance of Confucian principles. The temple also houses a drum tower.
Important architectural elements around the temple grounds include stone carvings, stone lions, dragon columns, stone bamboo windows, and wood, stone, and clay carvings.
Nearby the doors of the temple are large images of gods protecting the gates. Large coloured murals also are displayed throughout the grounds.
Bao'an Temple is especially well-known for the Baosheng Cultural Festival (held on the 14th day of the 3rd moon as that is the eve of the Baosheng Emperor’s birthday), where participants and locals march in a parade to worship agricultural gods and perform cultural activities such as the renowned fire-walking ritual. The parade tours around the Dalongdong and Dadaocheng (大稻埕) historic neighbourhoods for the greater part of the day, welcomed by firecrackers during the entire route. Upon returning back to Bao'an Temple, festivities continue with lion dance shows and numerous cultural presentations such as Taiwanese traditional folk opera, puppet shows, and ancient Chinese wind instrument performances.
Bao'an Temple is located within the historic Dalongdong Cultural and Historical District (大龍峒), next door to the Taipei Confucius Temple (台北市孔廟).
Take the Red Line 2 to Yuanshan Station (圓山). After leaving by Exit 2, continue walking down Kulun St (庫倫街), take a right at the intersection of Dalong St (大龍街). Continue walking straight past the Confucius Temple and take a left on Hami St. The temple entrance will be located on the right side.
A rental station is located at the intersection of Dalong and Hami Street.
Besides welcoming the public, the temple also arranges several different types of activities for visitors including guided tours, Chinese medicine clinics, literary competitions, music performances, and other cultural events.