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

Taoist Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the ''Tao'' ...

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

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

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

Lü Dongbin Lü Dongbin (796 CE – 1016 CE) is a legendary Chinese scholar and poet said to have lived during the Tang Dynasty. Whether he actually lived the two hundred and twenty years cannot be determined. Elevated to the status of an immortal in the C ...

, one of the

Eight Immortals The Eight Immortals () are a group of legendary ''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 "Covert Eight ...

. 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 mythological figure and one of the Eight Immortals in the Taoist Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daoj ...

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 Tudigong ( "Lord of the Soil and the Ground") or Tudishen ( "God of the Soil and the Ground"), also known simply as Tudi ( "Soil-Ground") is a tutelary deity of a locality and the human communities who inhabit it in Chinese folk religion and Tao ...

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 *** Bi ...

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''), also known as Completion of Authenticity, Complete Reality, and Complete Perfection is currently one of the two dominant denominations of Taoism in mainland China. It originated in Northern China in ...

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

Shanxi Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-lev ...

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

Jade Emperor The Jade Emperor or Yudi ( or , ') in Chinese culture, traditional religions and myth is one of the representations of the first god ( '). In Daoist theology he is the assistant of Yuanshi Tianzun, who is one of the Three Pure Ones, the three ...

(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 ...

(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 wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in Lu ...

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 ( ; zh, s=, p=Kǒng Fūzǐ, "Master Kǒng"; or commonly zh, s=, p=Kǒngzǐ, labels=no; – ) was a Chinese philosopher and politician of the Spring and Autumn period who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages. C ...

Transportation

The temple is accessible via Zhinan Temple Station of

Maokong Gondola The Maokong Gondola () is a gondola lift transportation system in Taipei, Taiwan. Opened on 4 July 2007, the Maokong Gondola operates between Taipei Zoo and Maokong. The line has four passenger stations. The facilities of the gondola were contra ...

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