Longshan Temple

Longshan was founded in 1738 by settlers from Fujian and has been damaged and rebuilt many times, by earthquake, by fire and by wartime bombing, which means the building you see is largely twentieth century over much older foundations. That does nothing to reduce its atmosphere. It is a working temple rather than a monument, and at almost any hour there are people in the forecourt lighting incense, kneeling with prayer blocks, or reading fortune slips drawn from bamboo cylinders. The main hall holds Guanyin, but the rear hall is crowded with a mixed pantheon of Taoist and folk deities, including Wenchang for students facing exams and the matchmaker Yue Lao, whose altar attracts a steady stream of hopeful young people. The stone dragon columns and the carved roof ridges reward slow looking.

What you actually see

• The main hall - Guanyin at the centre, and the collective chanting sessions held through the day.
• The rear hall deities - Wenchang for exams and Yue Lao for matchmaking, each with its own queue.
• Dragon columns - carved stone pillars at the front hall, among the finest in Taiwan.
• The fortune blocks and slips - the divination ritual, performed constantly by worshippers.

When to go

Any time; early morning and evening chanting sessions are the most atmospheric. Lunar New Year and the birthdays of major deities bring enormous crowds and a completely different energy.

Honest expectations

This is a place of worship first and a sight second, and the difference matters: photographing people mid-prayer at close range is intrusive, however striking the scene. The incense smoke is thick and can be difficult for asthmatics. The surrounding Wanhua district is one of Taipei's oldest and poorest, which some visitors find jarring after the temple's opulence.

Nearby

Bopiliao historic block and the Huaxi Street night market are within a short walk.