Tainan is known for its many Buddhist, Taoist and Confucious Temples and Shrines

Religious Experience

Tainan was, at a time, the capitol of Taiwan. The Chinese governed the little island province from this port city. The Dutch, Spanish and Portugese did (or tried to do) the same. The French built a castle here (The Eternal Castle. I'll go there on my next trip!) However, Taipei grew into the huge, densely populated financial and industrial center, leaving this beautiful port town to stand less polluted, less crowded and much more beautiful.

One thing Tainan is known for is temples. Buddhist and Taoist temples. Confucious shrines, Catholic Churches -- even temples which combine two or more of these faiths or worship local gods -- are everywhere here. There are also Dutch forts and battlements, great beaches, and historic government buildings.

I visited many temples, shrines and churches, and did not even scratch the surface. The temples I did see, however, were amazing.

The first was a historic Taoist Shrine. It had the simple architecture and beautiful gardens characteristic of the shrines. People sat in the gardens and played Go (Chinese Chess) and relaxed. Tourists wandered freely, taking pictures and exploring the many buildings of the shrine.

The many Buddhist Temples I visited began to blur together after a while. There was also a large shrine to Koxinga -- the Chinese leader who expelled the Dutch from Taiwan. Below also is a picture of a Korean Sun Goddess Temple, one of several Catholic Churches I saw (Tainan has the largest Christian population in Taiwan) and the capitol towers -- formerly the largest building in the city, now a short monument to the diminished political importance of the beautiful place.

Supposedly, there are over 3000 temples in Tainan. The temple in Luermen (deers-gate) is the largest in Asia and they actively pursue maintaining this title, asking for donations to build additions to the old building. Some temples are built out of stores and could be neighboring a 7-11 on one side and a Yamaha scooter shop on the other.

At one temple, Ranjana showed me the basics of paying respects at a temple. We purchased ghost money and incense and made rounds to different alters and incense burners, asking various deities for protection and help. I thought of my family and friends in America that I have not seen in so long and placed some incense sticks in the burners at each altar. Then, we visited a giant oven where we burned the money to ask the gods for good fortune and to sacrefice it so that friends and relatives who have died may have riches and prosperity in the afterlife. For a tiny donation, I got a set of prayer beads which, when worn on my wrist, protect me from ghosts. We then went to a sidewalk vendor and ate shrimp rolls and fresh, steamed mussels.

Is visiting these temples and burning incense and ghost money an act against the Christian God of my parents? I don't think so. Praying in a Buddhist temple feels the same as praying in a Catholic Church. The code for living life is the same. On the first night in our new apartment when I got to Seattle, Eric turned to me very seriously, noting that "most monks in the saffron robes live their lives better then any christian, yet, by the christian doctrine will not be admitted to heaven, because they worship the Buddha. That's bullshit." I ask "what is more important, the spirit or the details, anyway?" Regardless, in between noodle bowls and hot pots and trips to the beach, the temples in Tainan are well worth the visit.

More Tainan>> | home>>