Taiwan Glass Gallery & Glass Temple

Lukang is the second oldest town in Taiwan. There are many old temples in this town, and some are more than 300 years old. As time goes on, in order to keep the shape of old town but also to make a living for locals, people start to build factories on reclaimed land on the western coast of Lukang.

In order to do trade business or fish, the ancestors of Lukang had to cross Taiwan Strait (台灣海峽) from Mainland China. It's not a easy job in that time due to immature seamanship. The early residents believed they were protected by Mazu (Heavenly Holy Mother). Once they became rich, they would build a temple to worship Mazu. That's why there are so many Mazu Temples around Lukang. Now, there is even a Mazu temple, Glass Temple, is made of glasses, and it's the one and the only in the world*. Except pillars, most of the structure is transparant, such as doornail, door gods, Mazu statue, offerings, wall, and roof. It is more stunning at night when the lights are on.

Beside the Glass Temple, Taiwan Glass Gallery is also worth a visit. There are many glass art-crafts, and glass masters demonstrate how they create a piece of art. You will see some amazing stuff made of glass, such as god's palanquin (神轎), lotuses, and some friuts. On the ground floor, we suggest you go into Golden Tunnel (黃金隧道), which is a space surrounding by glasses and mirrors.

*There is another "glass temple" in Malaysia, called Arulmigu Sri Rajakaliamman Glass Temple. It's embellished by a mosaic of 300,000 pieces glass, but not like the Glass Temple in Lukang is "made of" glasses.