Bishan Temple > Taipei City > Tourism Administration, Republic of China (Taiwan)

Bishan Temple, situated on Bishan of Neihu, worships Minnan hero Chen Yuan-guang and generals Li Bo-yao and Ma Ren. Chen, the protector of Zhangzhou people, led the development of Zhangzhou of Fujian in the late Tang Dynasty. He was hailed as the Sacred King of Zhangzhou.

Of all the temples worshiping the Sacred King of Zhangzhou, Bishan Temple is the largest and most popular. It is said a man with the family of Huang emigrated to Taiwan from Zhangzhou with his dependents. Seeing that this area is an auspicious place, he placed some incense and a rock in a cave for worship and left. Not long after, down the mountain, robberies took place, and people suffered. In 1751, one day, just when robbers were going up the mountain, light burst out from the cave and sounds of battle drums were heard. The rock split into three—the middle one turned into the Sacred King of Zhangzhou, while the left and the right became generals Li and Ma. More smaller rocks fell down the hill and the robbers disarmed and ran away. The residents, hearing the news, went to the cave to worship them. Since the king and his generals had shown their power, people built a small temple with rocks for them. As more believers came, the present-day temple was built to accommodate them. A few natural disasters took place and more refurbishment work was done. With effort from the locals, believers, and temple administrators, the temple has become much more magnificent.

Bishan Temple overlooks Taipei Basin from a vantage point. Standing on the temple platform, one can appreciate the meandering Tamsui River, Liyu Mountain, and paddy fields which complement one another. At night, the temple even provides a mesmerizing view of Taipei 101 and the Grand Hotel.