Baihe Daxian Temple

Taiwan has many famous religious sites, such as Foguangshan (佛光山) and Chung Tai Chan Monastery (中台禪寺). Indeed, it can sometimes seem that they just keep on getting more beautiful the more you visit. However, the monks who occupy these sacred sites are not only responsible for organizing religious activities, but also for showing tourists around the site. The result is that these places can sometimes feel completely opposite to the peaceful atmosphere that foreigners imagine should belong to a religious site. Indeed, so busy are they, that it is hard to believe that some of these temples really are vegetarian, Buddha worshipping places at all!

However, many of Taiwan’s suburban temples that don’t enjoy such reputation and fame, are still places of peacefulness and serenity such as foreigners tend to expect. One place, of course, is Baihe Daxian Temple, where beautiful mountains, quietness and religious practice are still essential elements of religious life. So while you can still see facilities that attract tourists here, such as a large parking lot, artificial ponds and pavilions, you can also see the quiet environment of antique buildings, monks reading in the sun or chanting in the temple. You will also see clothes hanging in the sun outside the accommodation quarters, and feel the taste of ordinary life up close.