The Mengjia Longshan temple 艋舺龍山寺 is one of the most popular sights in Taipei, which is mentioned in every brochure and travel guide about Taipei City. It was built in 1738. That's very old for Taiwan. I decided to head there on a very hot day, it was nearly 30 degrees. Because it was still Chinese new year, there were many people. To my surprise, I didn't see any Western tourists. I was there around 1am, maybe it was too early for them? I don't know. Most of the people were locals. This is what I saw:
Former red light district in Taipei.
My girlfriend told me, that this street used to be Taipei's red light district. Yep, I was surprised, too. You wouldn't assume there will be one near a prominent temple, but apparently that's was problem until the late 1990s, when they banned prostitution here. So if she and I would walk here hand in hand, people would assume I am XXX and she is xxx. There's been some talk about legalizing prostitution again (read here).
A fountain nearby splashed the water and refreshed me. Well, not really.
The temple from closer.
The craftsmanship was exquisite here.
Wish I could read all this.
When I went inside, I was a bit hesitant to take photos, but then I saw others taking them and I made few myself. The temple is not too big, but not small either. It's very colorful and full of ornaments, most noticeable the dragons on the roof.
There was a lot of people and some women looked very beautiful.
A woman praying, while another is lighting candles.
The courtyard was really lively that day.
People holding joss sticks.
When I walked around the area I saw a lot of old people.
Longshan area is probably the place to be for elderly Taiwanese.
I've never seen so many old people at one place in Taipei. They hang out and rest there all day, I guess. And it's funny, because the Longshan temple is located very close to Ximending, the most trendy district for young people. The whole area around the temple is one of the oldest in Taipei. And very close is the famous Snake Alley at the Huaxi street as well as the Guangzhou Street Night Market, where local people like to eat. If you come to Taipei, you definitely need to see this temple and the whole area.
[My TAIPEI page][My TAIWAN page][All photos by MKL, 2010]
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