Tienyuen Temple 天元宮, Danshui

Taking photos of cherry blossoms

This weekend my girlfriend brought me to a very interesting place. We went to the Tienyuen Temple (天元宮) near Danshui. The weather was not so good, we had gray sky and it looked like it will rain at any time, so at first I wasn't very enthusiastic to go with her. She actually didn't tell me, that we'll gonna see an impressive temple, she only said we're going to see cherry blossoms. Yes, Taiwanese love to see cherry blossoms and take a lot of photos. I like to see them, too, but I prefer good weather. But then I remembered how beautiful they were last year in Seoul's Yeouido and that motivated me to eventually follow my girlfriend.

We took the MRT to Danshui and then a bus to an area nearby (took us around 20 min).

Click here for a bigger map

The ride with the bus was a real adventure. Going to the temple was fine, because we had seats. Going back was something else, because we had to stand and the bus was full.

Can you spot a foreigner?

After 20 minutes we finally came to the famous temple, that attracts a lot of visitors in March, when the cherry blossom season is at its peak. The temple belongs to a very young religious group (formed in the 20th century in China). The belief is called I-Kuan Tao (一貫道, lit. the consistent path) and is quite popular in Taiwan. The followers are known to be vegetarians. If you want to learn more, read about the religion here. According to local sources, the Tienyuen Temple's origins date back to the 1970s, but more parts were added in the 1980s. The most famous building, the 5 storey round tower, was build in 1992. It was in recent years, that young Taiwanese like to come here in huge masses every spring to take photos of the cherry blossoms (sakura). For me personally, the temple is more fascinating and I hope I can return on a brighter day and with less people to take more photos and enjoy the view.

Here are some impressions from March, 2011:

A statue above the fountain in front of a big paifang, that marks the entrance.

Food vendors on the left, masses of people on the right. The cherries are up there.

This is the famous round shaped tower in old Chinese style. Nearby are the cherries.

The building is really impressive, it resembles the Temple of Heaven in Beijing.

The never ending masses of Taiwanese sakura fans. Impressive as well.

The Tienyuen temple as seen from the tower.

A detail of the round tower.

The inside part. We went up to the first floor to enjoy the view.

The view was great, but if the sky is blue, it must be much much better.

My girlfriend took a lot of photos of the cherry blossoms. Good job!

The cherry blossoms and the round tower.

Taiwanese taking tons of photos at the same time.

Because only few cherries were in bloom, huge crowds gathered around them, consisting mostly of young people, usually couples. The girl would pose and make cute faces, while the boyfie would take photos of her. It was very adorable. Now I know that young Taiwanese have another passion: Cherry blossoms. It was really a fun experience. If you want to visit, you need to hurry up, the cherries won't blossom too long anymore, maybe for a week only. We took the bus 801 opposite of the Danshui MRT Station (here) and paid 23 NTD one way per person (46 all together is a little more than 1 euro). There are also free shuttle buses provided.

If you want to see better photos of the sakura and the temple, check these Taiwanese blogs:

• 淡水天元宮賞櫻花 by yoke0918
• 淡水天元宮櫻花 by Nick Lee
• 天元宮 photos on Pse100i.idv.tw
  

[My DANSHUI overview][All photos by MKL, 2010]

Danshui Old Street

Danshui's most famous street

Danshui used to be one of the biggest ports in northern Taiwan in the 19th century and so it's no wonder, that the town grew along the shores of the sea. The center of the town can still be found there. For one, there is the waterfront promenade, which is a pedestrian friendly street full of shops and hawkers. Parallel to it is the famous Gongming street (公明街) also know as the Danshui's Old Street (淡水老街), that attracts huge numbers of tourists today. Most of them come from Taipei city and hope to try some of the tasty local snacks or just go for a nice stroll. Together with the longer Zhongzheng road (中正路) they are the main part of the central Danshui.

So what can you see in Danshui's old center? Besides shops, shops and shops... well, there are temples, a chapel and many hawkers. They're probably the ones that attract the most tourists. Food is amazing there. The most common dish is ah gei (阿給), which is basically fried tofu stuffed with glass noodles and served in a spicy sauce. Another common snack are iron eggs (鐵蛋), which are fermented and have a distinct black color.

Let us see those famous three streets of the central Danshui:

1 Gongming street or Old street

This one is very crowded, even at the entrance.

The old street.

Various snacks such as grilled squid.

Lots of souvenirs are sold here, too.

2 Zhongzheng road

The Old street ends at the Zhongzheng road, which is similar, just with more traffic.

Here you can also see the Danshui Longshan temple 淡水龍山寺.

The temple inside is magnificent.

Me in front of the main altar.

The Zhongzheng road further up. Scooters are also here everywhere. Read more...

The Dutch-looking Teng Feng Fish ball Museum 登峯魚丸博物館.

Another lovely temple nearby: The Fuyou temple (福佑宫), built in 1796, is very old.

The Fuyou temple inside looks very interesting.

The Zhongzheng road again.

Another food stall. I like how the lady smiles, it looks like she's serving with love.

A town square with a statue of a Canadian Dr. Mackay.

George L. Mackay, Canadian dentist and missionary, is one of the most famous Westerners ever lived in Taiwan. He established a church, dentistry, schools and a hospital, spoke Taiwanese fluently and married a local woman. He was one awesome waiguoren :-) [more]

A new pavement on this part of the Zhongzheng road.

View from another angle.

Danshui Presbyterian church, also called Danshui Mackay Memorial Chapel [more here].

3 Waterfront promenade

This part is also full of shops and very crowded.

This area is famous for very tall ice cream. Check Amber's photo (via @ambellic.com).

The central area of Danshui with the famous Old street is just 5min away from the Danshui MRT station, which is great. You don't need to think about transportation, you just walk a little and you're inside the touristy hustle and bustle. But that's ok. It's fun to watch the people, the atmosphere is very relaxing. Danshui is different than other Taiwanese towns. Enjoy the ambiance.

My DANSHUI Tour - NEXT: Fort San Domingo>>

[DANSHUI overview][My TAIWAN page][Info: Source][All photos by MKL][Danshui map]

Fort San Domingo/Hongmao castle

One of the most famous remains of the Spanish rule in Dasnhui

Fort San Domingo (Spanish Fuerte Santo Domingo, Dutch Fort Anotnio, Chinese Hongmao castle or 紅毛城) is probably the most famous historic site in Danshui. The town was first inhabited by aboriginal Taiwanese, but later came Chinese, Spanish, Dutch, British, even Japanese. Only few Taiwanese towns had such a rich and colorful history as Danshui, that's why it's really interesting to explore all the famous historic sites there. My girlfriend and I started our history tour at this fort, that was already built in 1629 by the Spanish, who came here and colonized this part of Taiwan. But then there was much more to see, than we expected.

These are the countries that reigned over this fort in the recent 400 years.

Let me share with you a timeline of historic events connected with the fort:

1829: Spanish build a wooden fort above Danshui.

1836: Angry locals protest the high taxes, burn the fort down.

1837: Spanish build a new fort made of stones, build a higher wall.

1642: The Dutch expel the Spaniards from Danshui, Spaniards destroy the fort.

1644: The Dutch build a new fort, call it Fort Antonio, locals call it Hongmao castle.

1683: The Qing Dynasty has control over the fort, builds four gates.

1868: The British gain control over the fort, paint the white facade red.

1891: The British build their consular residence next to the fort.

1941: Japanese briefly hold control over the fort, lose it in 1945.

1972: The Republic of China gains control over the fort.

1984: The fort is open to public, listed as a first class national historic site.

2005: The fort was thoroughly renovated.

Let me share some photos with you:

1 Fort San Domingo/Hongmao castle:

The view on the fort from below.

The facade looks like new and the ROC flag looks majestic.

A closeup on the fort, people inside looking out, looks like the girl is on the phone.

The look down from the fort. Everything is clean and neat.

The fort from another angle, this time from the upper area.

2 Former British Consular Residence:

This structure was added in 1891, served as a consulate for the British.

The brick facade is very beautiful.

A closeup on the brick facade. I had the feeling I was somewhere in Western Europe.

We went inside, which is a display of the former British consulate.

A nice fireplace. Looks really cozy to me. You won't find this in Taiwanese homes.

A picture of the British Queen.

And then we walked outside a little more, checked the backyard.

And then going down and off to new historic sites.

This fort is really worth to see. We paid 60NTD which is less than 1,5 Euros. The whole area is small. If you walk around, 30min to 1h will be enough to see most of it.

My DANSHUI Tour - NEXT: Aletheia University>>

[DANSHUI][My TAIWAN page][Danshui map][Info Sources: 1, 2][All photos by MKL]