Xingtien Temple

Xingtien Temple is devoted to Kuan Kung, a famous deified general who lived during the Three Kingdoms period. A man who valued loyalty and righteousness above all things, Kuan Kung is worshipped as the God of War. Since he was adept at managing finances, he is also worshipped as the patron saint of businessmen.

Xingtien Temple is a young temple, built in 1967, with a simple and dignified appearance. In front of the hall is a censer with a somewhat unusual design. Its two handles are in the shape of flying dragons, and its four sides are adorned with dragon heads streatching toward the sky.

The courtyard of Xingtien Temple is usually busy, with crowds of worshippers bowing their heads or kneeling in devotion. On the main altar there are only offerings of fresh flowers and tea, since the temple forbids the killing or offering of animals. The temple also discourages the burning of ritual paper money as an offering to the deities and the spirits of the deceased, the staging of operas for the gods, the presenting of gold medallions in gratitude to the deities, and the like.

Most significantly, Xingtien Temple supplies free candles, and there is no donation box -- a first for traditional religion in Taiwan. Many believers feel that this is a very efficacious temple, and it is frequently thronged with people praying for help and seeking divine guidance by consulting oracle blocks. Even the pedestrian underpass outside the temple is filled with fortune-tellers and vendors who take commercial advantage of the temple's popularity.

The Xingtien Temple is located in Minchiuan East Road in Taipei City's Chungshan District.