How to Visit the Longshan Temple
Is the Longshan Temple Worth Visiting?
Is the Longshan Temple worth visiting? How do I visit the Longshan Temple? Will I disturb the worshippers if I visit the Longshan Temple? Those are the three questions I found myself asking before I visited Taipei, Taiwan’s Longshan Temple.
The Longshan Temple is a Chinese Folk Religion temple located in Taipei, Taiwan. The temple was built in 1738 but has been continuously rebuilt after being destroyed by earthquakes, typhoons, and war. One of the most recent rebuilds came after World War II when the Longshan Temple was partially destroyed by US bombers. The US bombed the temple because it was believed that the Japanese were hiding ammunition inside.
Built by Han immigrants, the temple originally had many uses, including serving as a municipal building, guild, self-defense center, and place of worship. The Longshan Temple has Buddhist elements and is for worshipping the bodhisattva of mercy, Guanyin. A bodhisattva is a person who can reach Nirvana but delays doing so out of compassion to save suffering beings. In addition to worshipping Guanyin, there are close to 100 other gods and goddesses worshipped at the Longshan Temple.
How to Visit the Longshan Temple - Table of Contents
Disclaimer: At Buzzin’ Around the World, we do our best to offer the most factual information that was available to us at the time of posting based on our research. If you believe something on our site is incorrect or misleading, please email us.
We follow all local, national, and international laws and ordinances based on our best interpretation at the time of posting. If you are a representative of an organization that believes one of your ordinances has been violated, please know it was not intentional. To have content removed, please email us.
Finally, under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.
We use affiliate links to help pay for fees associated with our website. When you book a service (i.e. flight, hotel, tour) or purchase a product through any of our links, we may/will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Buzzinaroundtheworld.com may be compensated for reviews posted on this website. We always review each product truthfully.
Buzzin’ Around the World uses our individual travel experiences to write our content. All photos and content are original. Buzzin’ Around the World sometimes uses AI to generate titles, summaries, or descriptions of our original work.
For more information, please click HERE to visit our private policy page. We can be reached at buzzinaroundtheworld@gmail.com.
How to Visit the Longshan Temple
It is easy to get to the Longshan Temple as it has its own metro stop named “Longshan Temple.” There is no cost to enter the temple.
The temple was the first place of worship that I visited in Taipei, and I spent a few minutes observing others so I would know how to act. It is important to be culturally aware when visiting other countries, but it is even more critical when visiting places of worship. Even though I saw others wearing hats, I removed mine before entering the temple. I didn’t want to take any chances of offending any of the worshippers. I also saw a few people taking photos but wanted to make sure it was allowed, so I asked a security guard. He told me that photography was allowed but to try to avoid taking pictures of the worshippers.
Even though photography was allowed, I tried to be very respectful of the worshippers. I am not an expert on Chinese Folk Religions, so it was interesting to observe their methods of worship. Most of the worshippers would light incense from a set of candles and then wave the incense in front of the shrine to Guanyin. They would then put their hands together, bow, and walk away. I did not photograph this as I was trying to treat them with the utmost respect.
There were many other shrines, and each one had offerings in front of it. Worshippers seemed to choose specific shrines to go up to worship. I wish I had done additional research before my visit as each shrine was unique to one of over 100 gods and goddesses. If I had done my research, I would have photographed and observed many more shrines. Unfortunately, I was fairly new to traveling and travel blogging and didn’t learn enough about the Longshan Temple before my visit. Below is the only other shrine I photographed. The shrine is dedicated to Mazu, a Chinese Sea Goddess. Following her death, she was believed to roam the seas protecting people who believed in her.
The Longshan Temple was one of my favorite places that I visited on day one in Taipei. I love learning about different religions, and it was fascinating to see people worshipping inside the temple. The temple was also beautifully constructed and had gorgeous fountains and waterfalls directly outside it. After visiting the Longshan Temple, I decided to walk about one-quarter of a mile to the less well-known Qingshan Temple.
Longshan Temple Tours
I only found one tour that mentions the Longshan Temple. I did not take a tour, but I wish I had. There is so much to learn, and I feel like I missed out on some of the information. If you book the tour to the right, please note that I am an affiliate partner of Viator. If you book using my link, I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.
 Taipei Walking Tour- Longshan Temple PLUS - $73.59 Join us on a journey back into the past! Together we'll travel back in time to 18 century Wanhua district, where Taipei city was founded! Our local guides will walk you through all the amazing stories of this ancient neighborhood. On top of that, we'll show you how to be a real Taiwanese by worshiping at Longshan temple! |
Buzzin' Around the World's Affiliate Partners
Affiliate Partner of the Month - Viator
Viator is my favorite website for booking tours and packages. With over 300,000 unique tours to choose from, everyone should be able to find something on Viator that interests them. I like Viator because anytime I have an issue with a tour company, Viator has intervened and helped on my behalf. I highly recommend using Viator for booking your tours and vacation packages.
Book Through the Link Below to Help Buzzin' Around the World Earn Commission
Earn $200 in Travel Rewards with the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Card
The Capital One VentureOne Rewards Card is one of the few rewards cards that does not charge an annual fee. Cardholders can earn 1.25 points for every dollar spent while enjoying 0% APR for 15 months.
Currently, Capital One is offering a signup bonus of 20,000 points (worth $200 in travel rewards) when the cardholder spends $500 in the first three months. If you are interested in this card, I would appreciate it if you would sign up with the link below, as I earn a referral bonus of 10,000 points. Those points are worth $100 in travel rewards and will help me continue to bring great content to Buzzin’ Around the World.
Once again, the Capital One VentureOne card is one of the few reward cards without an annual fee and is the perfect card for someone who is just starting to get into the travel points game.