Dragons, Deities & Love At Longshan Temple Taiwan

If you only have time for one temple in Taiwan, I recommend Longshan Temple. The primary deity of the temple is Guanyin, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, although there are many more deities here. One of its other most famous deities is Yue Lao, the deity of Love and Marriage, who also draws a lot of attention. He can help you find a love match or, if you’re already part of a couple, strengthen your relationship. There’s also Mazu, the Sea Goddess, Wenchang Dijun, the God of Literature, Guan Yu, the God of War, and more, making this a very beautiful and interesting temple. This post covers Longshan Temple in Taiwan, what to expect, and how to get here.

Longshan Temple

Built in the 18th century, Longshan Temple is one of the oldest temples in Taiwan. It’s also one of its most famous and historically significant temples. With its vibrant colors, intricate carvings, ornate decorations, multiple deities, and lovely atmosphere, Longshan Temple is also one of the most popular temples to visit in Taiwan.

The name Longshan Temple name translates to Dragon Mountain Temple, which is the same name of a temple in the Fujian Provence of China, where many Taiwanese moved to this area of Taiwan from.

The following is a guide to what you can expect when visiting.

Main Gate

As you walk through the Main Gate of Longshan Temple from the street, you’ll see the various colorful dragons decorating the rooftops here. They stand as a symbol of power, strength, and protection, as well as a connection to the divine.

Once past the Main Gate, you will be standing in the small square in front of the temple. In this square, you’ll see a large waterfall on the right side. It not only adds beauty to the area, it symbolizes purity and the cleansing of negative energies. It also symbolizes peace and tranquility and is a reminder of the importance of harmony with nature.

On the left side of the square is a fountain with a golden dragon, which reinforces the power, strength, and connection to the divine of the dragons on the rooftop.

In the center, you will often see many, many brilliantly colored flowers. These flower offerings are a sign of devotion and respect for the deities of the temple, and enhance its beauty.

Dragon Gate

The main entrance to Longshan Temple is the Dragon Gate entrance, which is on the right side of the temple, near the waterfall. There is no entrance fee.

Once inside, you will see the area to buy sweets or cookies as an offering for the deities of Longshan to your right.

Front Hall

If you turn to your left you’ll see the Front Hall. It has a very large table with many flowers and offerings for the temple.

There’s a bench in front of this table, where many people will be kneeling on, or standing behind, silently sharing their devotion, or seeking compassion, healing, or guidance.

I stood in the Front Hall for a while, absorbing the atmosphere, the beautiful art and architecture of the temple, and watching people.

Main Hall

The Main Hall, or Center Hall, is in the center of the temple, beyond the Front Hall. There is a very impressive gold statue of Guanyin here, the main deity of the temple, as well as intricately carved artwork and colorful decorations. It really is stunning.

Guanyin, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, offers emotional support in times of distress, physical and emotional healing, protection, guidance and clarity, and helps devotees to cultivate compassion.

The most memorable time to visit this hall is during one of its chanting ceremonies, which happen at 6:00 AM, 8:00 AM, and 3:45 PM (check the website for changes before visiting). I personally did not visit during a chanting, but have read that there can be a hundred or more people chanting together, which would be a very moving experience. I arrived around 11:00 and enjoyed the fact that the temple was not too crowded.

The most elaborate of these ceremonies occurs on Guanyin’s birthday, which is celebrated February 12th to the 19th and before and during the Lunar New Year.

Rear Hall

After visiting the Front Hall, and the Main Hall, walk towards the back of the temple to the Rear Hall. As you walk, make sure to notice the architecture, the intricate carvings, and brilliant lanterns.

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The temple guide (see below) recommends visiting all of the deities in the Rear Hall after visiting Guanyin.

Yue Lao’s Hall, Deity of Love & Marriage

After you have visited all the deities (as recommended), visit Yue Lao’s Hall. It’s located in the back left corner of the temple. It can often be crowded here, so you can’t miss it.

Yue Lao, who is also known as the Old Man Under The Moon, is the deity of Love and Marriage. The temple guide says to prepare wedding candies or sweets as an offering to him.

It’s important to specify what you are looking for in a partner and what kind of relationship you want. If you are already part of a couple, you can pray for continued happiness.

After this, throw two red moon blocks, or Jiaobei, three times. They will be in a bowl nearby. Each time you throw them, ask a different yes or no question about your love. The position the blocks land in provide the answers to your questions.

There is a curved side and a flat side to the moon blocks. If both blocks land flat side down, the answer is no. If both land curved side down, the question is considered irrelevant. If one block lands flat side down and one lands curved side down, the answer is yes. To learn more about this process, refer to these directions.

If you receive three yeses, or divine signs, you can take one of the red threads nearby. You must bless the red thread before the large incense pot in the Main Hall. You also need to keep it for his matchmaking skills to work.

If your prayers do come true, the guide recommends returning to the temple in the future to pray again. See the Temple Guide below for full details.

Tiger Gate

The Tiger Gate, on the left hand side of the temple, is the exit. It’s near the front of the temple, but on the opposite side from the Dragon Gate.

Right before the exit, you’ll find many items for sale including prayer beads, incense, local crafts, religious items, and literature. This area can also get a little crowded as it’s popular to purchase a token here.

Tours Of Longshan Temple

Official guided tours of Longshan Temple are offered in Chinese on select days for no cost. There are also foreign tours and group tours available. These must be requested in advance using the form in the link above.

There are also Taiwan highlight tours offered through Get Your Guide that stop here. For example, the Taipei: Classic Landmarks Day Tour includes a 30-minute stop at Longshan Temple. This would be a great way to get more detail than you would be able to get in your own if you do not speak Chinese.

Or, if you prefer to explore on your own, follow this Temple Guide. I copied this from the QR code from inside the temple during my visit. It covers details on procedures and etiquette for visiting the temple.

How To Get To Longshan Temple

Getting to Longshan Temple is easy. It’s so popular that it has its own MRT Station, the Longshan MRT station. It is on the Blue Line. The Longshan Temple stop is two stops away from Taipei Main Station, which is also on the Blue Line.

Take exit 5 out of the Longshan MRT Station. Walk through Bangka Park to Longshan Temple.

Want To See More Of Taiwan?

I’ve wanted to visit Taiwan for a while now and glad I’ve finally made it there. It may be small, but it’s packed with fascinating history, incredible food, a lot of nature to explore, and the nicest people I think I’ve ever met traveling.

I will be writing more on Taiwan soon, but one of its can’t-miss destinations is Jiufen Old Street in northeastern Taiwan. It’s only about an hour or so from Taipei and easy to visit as a day trip to see its historic old streets built on a sloping hill with amazing coastal views. There’s tons of charm here with its brilliant red lanterns, lots of food stalls to try tempting Taiwanese food, and many traditional teahouses overlooking the stunning coastline.

If you like hiking, I recommend hiking Teapot Mountain. The views from the summit are spectacular. It’s not far from Jiufen, so perfect to do as part of a trip there, or, it can also be done separately as a day trip from Taipei.

Another interesting old street is Shifen Old Street, which was built around a rail line track over 100 years ago. Today, the train brings visitors, rather than coal, to explore the town, release sky lanterns, and see its magical waterfall.

If you’re looking for a more soothing day trip, visit Jiaoxi Hot Springs Park. You can have a relaxing onsen-style bathing experience in the woods, or just soak your feet in the free foot baths.

Safe Travels!

Julie