Zhinan Temple (; also called , Xiāngōng Miào; also anglicized as "Chihnan" or "Jhihnan") is a

Taoist Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ...

temple on the slopes of Houshan (猴山, "Monkey Mountain") in

Wenshan District Wenshan District () is a district in Taipei, Taiwan. It is the southernmost district of the twelve districts in Taipei. ''Wenshan'' previously referred to the region south of the Taipei Basin (including Xindian and Pinglin). History In 1894 ...

Taipei , nickname = The City of Azaleas , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

. It was founded in 1882. The temple's main deity is

Lü Dongbin Lü Dongbin is a legendary Chinese scholar and poet who lived during the Tang dynasty whose lifetime supposedly spanned two hundred and twenty years. Elevated to the status of an immortal in the Chinese cultural sphere by Daoists, he is one of ...

, one of the

Eight Immortals The Eight Immortals () are a group of legendary ''Xian (Taoism), xian (immortals)'' in Chinese mythology. Each immortal's power can be transferred to a vessel () that can bestow life or destroy evil. Together, these eight vessels are called the ...

. As Lü is said to dwell in the southern courtyard of the heavenly court, the temple acts as a compass pointing toward the south (指南, ''zhǐnán''); hence the name.

Overview

Popular folklore holds that unmarried couples who visit the temple together will break up. One explanation is that Lü Dongbin, famous for his Taoist sexual prowess, can be counted upon to seduce any unmarried woman (older versions specify that she must be a virgin). Another is that since Lü Dongbin's love for

Immortal Woman He He Xiangu, birth name He Qiong, is a Chinese mythology, Chinese mythological figure and one of the Eight Immortals in the Taoism, Taoist pantheon. She is often seen as the only female among the Eight Immortals (though the sex of Lan Caihe, anothe ...

went unanswered, he is jealous of lovers. Zhinan Temple is famous for its stairway of "1000" steps. (This is to the Yuanzhen Pond and the

Tudigong A Tudigong ( zh, s=土地公, l=Lord of the Land) is a kind of Chinese tutelary deity of a specific location. There are several Tudigongs corresponding to different geographical locations and sometimes multiple ones will be venerated together in ...

shrine; the gate of the Chunyang Chapel requires a further 300 steps.) Several bus routes also serve the temple, especially No. 530 from Zhinan Bus Company. Access by

cable car Cable car most commonly refers to the following cable transportation systems: * Aerial lift, such as aerial tramways and gondola lifts, in which the vehicle is suspended in the air from a cable ** Aerial tramway ** Chairlift ** Gondola lift *** ...

was available between 2007 and 2008, was then suspended due to erosion-related structural problems, and has since been restored.

Layout

The oldest part of the temple is the Chunyang Chapel, constructed in 1890. Funding came from gold miners working in Jinshan. This shrine houses a statue of Lü Dongbin, founder of the Chunyang (純陽, "Pure ''Yang''") sect of

Quanzhen The Quanzhen School (全真: ''Quánzhēn'', "All-True", Complete Perfection, Integrating Perfection or Complete Reality) is currently one of the two dominant denominations of Daoism in China. It originated in the Shandong peninsula in 1170. O ...

("Complete Perfection") Taoism. The present statue was a 2002 gift from Zhinan's "home temple," Yongle Temple in

Shanxi Shanxi; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanised as Shansi is a Provinces of China, province in North China. Its capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-level cities are Changzhi a ...

province. Facing the Chunyang Chapel, to the left is the Lingxiao Chapel (built 1963–1966). The main deities are the

Jade Emperor In the Chinese mythology, myths and Chinese folk religion, folk religion of Chinese culture, the Jade Emperor or Yudi is one of the representations of the Primordial Divinity (Tai Di), primordial god. In Taoist theology, he is the assistant of ...

(on the top floor) and the

Three Pure Ones The Three Pure Ones, also translated as the Three Pure Pellucid Ones, the Three Pristine Ones, the Three Divine Teachers, the Three Clarities, or the Three Purities, are the three highest gods in the Taoist pantheon. They are regarded as pure m ...

(on the ground floor). Below these may be found the classrooms and offices of the China Taoism Institute (''Zhonghua Daojiao Xueyuan''), a Quanzhen seminary granting (unrecognized) two-year BA and MA degrees in Taoism. To the right of the Chunyang Chapel is the Buddhist-themed Daxiong Chapel (built 1973). A black statue of

Sakyamuni Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist lege ...

was the gift of a Thai military officer who, while exiled to Taiwan, vowed to donate such a statue in the event that he returned to power. Behind the Lingxiao Chapel is the much smaller Dacheng Chapel, dedicated to

Confucius Confucius (; pinyin: ; ; ), born Kong Qiu (), was a Chinese philosopher of the Spring and Autumn period who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages. Much of the shared cultural heritage of the Sinosphere originates in the phil ...

Transportation

The temple is accessible via Zhinan Temple Station of

Maokong Gondola The Maokong Gondola () is a gondola lift transportation system in Taipei, Taiwan. It is operated by the Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation and integrated with its fare system. Opened on 4 July 2007, the Maokong Gondola operates between Taipei Zoo ...

External links

{{commons category, Zhinan Temple
Official site
(multilingual)

(in English)

(in English)
China Taoism Institute
(in Chinese) 1882 establishments in China Religious buildings and structures completed in 1882 Taoist temples in Taipei

Overview

Layout

Transportation

See also

External links