Xingtian Temple Introduction
Xingtian Temple is located at the intersection of Minquan East Road and Songjiang Road in the Zhongshan District, and it is the most visited temple in northern Taiwan, attracting tens of thousands of visitors daily. Xingtian Temple venerates the main deity Guan En Zhu Yu, the Holy Emperor of Celestial Martial Balance, along with other deities including the Southern Duke Fu You (Lu En Zhu Dong Bin), the True Lord of the Nine Heavens (Zhang En Zhu Shan), the Divine Official of Pre-Heaven (Wang En Zhu Shan), the Loyal and Righteous King of Wu (Yue En Zhu Fei), Prince Guan (Guan Sheng Prince), Master Zhou (Zhou En Shi Cang), and the deities from Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. Since its establishment, Xingtian Temple has become the most visited temple in the Greater Taipei area, and indeed in all of northern Taiwan, due to its broad acceptance of faith among the public and its distinctive features, which include: no merit boxes, no offering of sacrificial animals, no burning of joss paper, no acceptance of gold medals, no theatrical performances for deities, no divination, no external fundraising, and a prohibition on commercial activities. The temple is centrally located with a spacious courtyard and was the first to establish a religious foundation, confirming its charitable nature. In addition to the main temple in Taipei and its branch temples in Sanxia and Beitou, Xingtian Temple also founded the "Xingtian Temple Cultural and Educational Development Promotion Foundation" in 1995 and features two attached libraries (located in downtown Taipei and Beitou) as well as En Zhu Gong Hospital in Sanxia. Its charitable nature is evident, demonstrating that religion not only soothes the hearts of the people but also provides tangible benefits to their daily lives.
