Established in 1690 on a former private estate of the Zheng family, Kaiyuan Temple holds the distinction of being Taiwan’s first government-funded Buddhist monastery. The temple became a center for Buddhist scholarship and monastic education, significantly influencing the development of Taiwan Buddhist traditions over more than three centuries. Under reconstruction in 2026, due to reopen in 2027.
Map
Heritage Status
- National Monument (國定古蹟)
Links
- Wikipedia in Chinese (中文維基百科)
- Cultural Assets Bureau (文化部文化資產局)
- Center For GIS, Academia Sinica (文化資源地理資訊系統)
- See Zine (晰誌)
Themes
- Temple Culture in Taiwan (台灣的寺廟文化)
- Qing Dynasty Era Taiwan (清治時期台灣)
Nearby Locations
Author
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I am a web application developer, photojournalist, urban explorer, and history enthusiast passionate about the open web and documenting my experiences on this planet. This project was founded in the early 2010s and has evolved into a sort of personal Wikipedia of places that interest me (and often the photographs I’ve taken there). I’m originally from Toronto, Canada, but spend most of my time residing in Taiwan.