Lungshan Temple

This guide to Lungshan Temple in Taipei goes back to 1738, when Fujian settlers pooled their savings to give a Guanyin statue brought from home a place in the port town then called Manka. It follows the temple through two centuries of earthquakes, fires and typhoons, rebuilt by worshippers each time, up to an American bombing raid on May 31, 1945 that reduced the main hall to ruins. In the rear hall you'll also meet a very different deity, Yue Lao, the god of love, and the red offerings visitors still leave him. Walk from the main hall to the rear hall to meet both sides of the temple.