Taipei's Baoan Temple: World Cultural Heritage Site

Do you know which temple in Taiwan won the 2003 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation? The winner is Taipei's Bao'an Temple. Considering it won such a prestigious honor, you must be eager to learn about Bao'an Temple. Hold your horses. First, let's take a look at Taiwan's religious culture. Historically in Taiwan, when an individual who made great contributions to a place passed away, a temple was built in their honor to allow local residents to worship them. No wonder there are so many temples in Taiwan. Taipei's Bao'an Temple is no exception. The main deity worshipped in the temple was a doctor who saved local residents during an epidemic. Built in 1742, Bao'an Temple gradually became a local religious center and has now been popular for more than 200 years. Are you curious how the centuries-old Bao'an Temple has retained its stunning appearance? Like me, the temple requires constant maintenance and repairs. Bao'an Temple has undergone five major renovations over the past 200 years. Among these, the 1917 renovation is the most fascinating. To achieve the best possible results, the local gentry invited the most famous craftsmen of the time, Chen Yingbin and Guo Ta, to compete against each other. The event caused quite a sensation. For the project, each of the craftsmen was asked to renovate one side of the temple using their favorite methods. Taking the roof brackets as an example, Chen Yingbin used vertical brackets on the right, while Guo Ta used angled brackets on the left. That's why the two sides of the temple's main hall have different designs. Due to this mix of styles, the temple has a unique artistic value. It really is remarkably beautiful. By 1995, Bao'an Temple was once again in need of restoration. This project was an unprecedented task and an important milestone in local cultural heritage conservation. We had to carry out the work slowly and carefully. The temple raised more than six million dollars for the project. A mix of traditional methods and modern technologies were used in the restoration, which took almost seven years to complete. Notably, European techniques were used to restore the temple's murals. This was an ideal cultural exchange between East and West. The continued efforts to protect and restore Bao'an Temple explain why the centuries-old site is still stunningly beautiful today. You're welcome to come and visit Taipei's Bao'an Temple for yourself. We guarantee it'll be well worth a trip.