Wuji Tianyuan Temple (無極天元宮) is located in Tamsui Dist. of New Taipei City. It is a Taoist temple (道教廟寺) that emphasizes wu wei (無為, literally meaning non-action, non-doing or non-forcing). Taoism is a very popular religion alongside Buddhism in Taiwan. Wuji Tianyuan Temple is not a very old temple. Its construction started in 1972, and the basic construction was completed in just 57 days in the same year. The most eye catching five-story Wuji Jen-Yuan Tiantan (無極真元天壇) completed in 1992 is a unique structure in a Taiwanese temple. The reason it is called tiantan (天壇) might be because its outline looks like the Temple of Heaven (天壇, Altar of Heaven) in Beijing.
Wuji Tianyuan Temple became a famous destination not because of the temple but for the cherry blossoms\ season in February and March. We went there more than 6 times during the cherry blossom season. It is almost impossible to find a parking nearby during the period even on weekdays. Once we were in the site, we saw the original Wuji Tianyuan Temple. The most incredible part was following the road up to the hill where the Wuji Jen-Yuan Tiantan stands on top of the hill. We saw almost every visitor taking photos everywhere which of course included me. You can use the Tiantan as a background of the cherry blossoms scene. Most of the time we went on the left side of the Tiantan and turned left to the trail that led us to a cherry tree garden. Here we saw lot of cherry trees, and it is a good place to take photo of cherry blossoms with the Tiantan as background. Then we took the circular path around the Tiantan and tried to go inside the Tiantan. It was unfortunately not open to public that day. We will try again next cherry blossom season. It is much less crowded in other seasons, and you can come here to enjoy the peaceful environment anytime if you live in Taiwan.
The best way to visit during the cherry blossoms is taking a bus from Tamsui or MRT station. Good news is the Tamsui Light Rail (淡海輕軌) will start operating in end of 2018, which will drop you off at a station only 3.4 km (2.1 mi) from the temple. Don’t forget to go inside the Tiantan and go up to the top floor to have a excellent view of the area. You can include other attractions in the Tamsui area and enjoy a full day adventure in New Taipei City.
Wuji Tianyuan Temple became a famous destination not because of the temple but for the cherry blossoms\ season in February and March. We went there more than 6 times during the cherry blossom season. It is almost impossible to find a parking nearby during the period even on weekdays. Once we were in the site, we saw the original Wuji Tianyuan Temple. The most incredible part was following the road up to the hill where the Wuji Jen-Yuan Tiantan stands on top of the hill. We saw almost every visitor taking photos everywhere which of course included me. You can use the Tiantan as a background of the cherry blossoms scene. Most of the time we went on the left side of the Tiantan and turned left to the trail that led us to a cherry tree garden. Here we saw lot of cherry trees, and it is a good place to take photo of cherry blossoms with the Tiantan as background. Then we took the circular path around the Tiantan and tried to go inside the Tiantan. It was unfortunately not open to public that day. We will try again next cherry blossom season. It is much less crowded in other seasons, and you can come here to enjoy the peaceful environment anytime if you live in Taiwan.
The best way to visit during the cherry blossoms is taking a bus from Tamsui or MRT station. Good news is the Tamsui Light Rail (淡海輕軌) will start operating in end of 2018, which will drop you off at a station only 3.4 km (2.1 mi) from the temple. Don’t forget to go inside the Tiantan and go up to the top floor to have a excellent view of the area. You can include other attractions in the Tamsui area and enjoy a full day adventure in New Taipei City.
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James Huang - All rights reserved.
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