Bao'an Temple, Taipei

Bao'an Temple was founded by settlers from Tong'an in Fujian and is dedicated to Baosheng Dadi, a healer later deified as the god of medicine, which is why people still come here with a specific ailment in mind. The building most visitors photograph dates from a rebuilding in the early twentieth century, carried out under an arrangement that was normal at the time: two master carpenters were each given half of the main hall and told to outdo the other, and the differences in the dragon columns, brackets and stone carving down the centre line are still visible once you look for them. A long restoration finished in the early 2000s and won an international conservation award.

What to look for

• The split front hall - two halves built in competition by rival carpentry teams.
• The dragon columns - stone shafts carved with coiled dragons at the entrance.
• The painted corridor - large narrative murals along the rear courtyard walls.
• The Confucius Temple opposite - a quieter compound with no statues, only tablets.

When to go

Open daily from early morning until evening, and there is no bad season for it. Mornings are quiet, with a steady traffic of people leaving offerings and reading divination blocks. Evenings are busier and better lit. The Baosheng cultural festival runs through the spring around the god's birthday, with lion dances, processions and opera staged in the forecourt.

Practical notes

It is smaller than Longshan Temple and gets far fewer visitors, which some people read as a sign that there is less to see; the carving repays slow looking rather than a ten-minute stop. Incense smoke is heavy and irritates the eyes. The surrounding streets are ordinary and there is little reason to linger once you leave.

Nearby

The Confucius Temple is directly across the road and the Dadaocheng merchant streets are twenty minutes south.

Key facts