Chung Tai Chan Monastery

Chung Tai Chan was completed in 2001 to a design by C.Y. Lee, who also drew Taipei 101, and it is unlike any other monastery in Taiwan: a hundred and thirty-six metres of granite, glass and steel, with a tapering tower topped by a golden finial and interiors of polished stone and modern sculpture rather than painted timber. Inside are halls on several levels, a large seated Buddha carved from a single block, and a museum of Buddhist art.

What you actually see

• The tower - 136 metres of granite and glass, unmistakable from across the valley.
• The main halls - modern stone interiors on several levels.
• The carved Buddha - a large figure worked from a single block of stone.
• The art museum - Buddhist sculpture and artefacts in the complex.

When to go

Year round; the monastery keeps daily hours and tours should be arranged in advance. Modest dress is required. Mornings are quietest.

Honest expectations

Access to much of the building is by guided tour only and must be arranged ahead. Photography is restricted in most areas. The scale and the modern idiom divide opinion sharply.

Nearby

Puli town is nearby, and Sun Moon Lake is south.