Chih Nan Temple

Great temple up the hill, come here for prayers and lookout point, enjoy the nature and fresh air over here

Located in a beautiful mountain setting with breathtaking views over the Taipei basin, the Zhinangong (指南宮) Temple Complex is a small island of solitude that overlooks a busy and noisy city. On a day with good visibility, it's possible to see as far as Danshui (淡水) and Taoyuan (桃園). It's an excellent place from which to view the sunset, especially in summer time, when the air is clearer, and the view of the setting sun is unobstructed by hills surrounding the complex. The temple complex itself is quite impressive, with classical Daoist architecture, mixed with several modern Taiwanese touches. There are three main buildings, connected together with pedestrian walkways. However, the infrastructure is clearly showing its age. The walls and pathways around the temple buildings are dilapidated and have fallen into disrepair, with crumbling dirty paintwork and cracked pavements that clearly have not been maintained for years. Some of the outdoor pathways connecting different areas of the complex are covered by corrugated iron roof structures and strip lighting. There's also plenty of rusty metal and exposed electrical cabling: hardly fitting for a temple that's described as having a "stairway of a thousand steps". Additionally, there's another source of irritation. At busy times, some temple visitors are in the habit of riding scooters and motorcycles up the pedestrian walkways of the temple, sometimes at particularly high speed. So if you're looking for peace and quiet and you're on foot, it's good to be mentally prepared for the occasional scooter to race by. All in all, it's a bit disappointing compared with what this place could be, especially given the beautiful mountain setting. With investment and good management, this temple has the potential to rival such temples as Fushimi Inari in Kyoto, Japan, but it would require significant amounts of renovation. The roof structure of the northern-most temple building is currently under renovation, and there are new pathways being constructed, so perhaps there will be improvements in the future. Overall, I'd still recommend a visit, especially if you're in the area. The architecture is perhaps not as inspiring as some other temples in Taiwan, but the view over Taipei certainly makes up for it.

Here you can see the whole Taipei scenery. You can get here by taking a bus(no. 530 ) ,get off at terminal stop (Chih Nan Temple ). There is an old street around here, some vendors who sell things along the old street. Go through the street to visit temples. You also can take MRT and then take a Maokong cable car to get here .

Gorgeous temple in the mountains. Accessible by the Gondola close to Taipei Zoo MRT station - or 12000 steps uphill. But the view is worth the trip definitely. At the moment it’s under construction which was a bit disappointing. But inside it was beautiful and very peaceful. I didn’t regret doing the trip.

Nice visit to the temple taking the Maokong Gondola. The Zhi Nan Temple was under renovation during our visit. Clear sunny day and we could see the Taipei landscape and 101 Tower in the background. Serene and calming with a relaxing cool breeze blowing our way tiwards the mountain top. Nice way to end our day trip.

We hiked up to this temple through the mountains and it was well worth it. Many tourists don’t bother to get out to visit this from the Maokong Gondola but please do. It was very quiet when we visited and I could have have stayed for hours.

temple with spectacular views of Taipei. the temple is dedicated to Lu Dongbin, one of the Eight Immortals in Taoist mythology. there are two statues of him, one from China made of jade and another one made in Taiwan. it is interesting to see how different the statues look, despite supposedly being depictions of the same deity! visit(s): 20210905

Best to experience riding the Maokong Gondola and alight at Zhinan Temple Station to access this temple located at the foot of Zhishan mountain in Wenshan District, Taipei. Chih Nan Temple is dedicated to the Taoist immortal Lu Tung-pin, better known as "Xiangong" or "Luzu" who loved poetry and books. The place offers wonderful nature and the view of gondolas travelling from one station to the other. A pleasant time for some self reflections when you're in this place. Would love to go back someday.