Introduction to the Quanhua Temple complex
The Quanhua Temple complex is a group of Taoist and Buddhist temples clustered along the flank and spine of Lion’s Head Mountain on the border of Hsinchu and Miaoli.
Quanhua Temple — the establishment after which the whole complex is named — is not the first temple you’ll arrive at as you ascend. That spot goes to Futian Temple, which is accessed by the 110+ year-old Ziyang Gate. Futian Temple’s main hall is filled with three altars, and Di Cang Wang (地藏王, also known as the Kṣitigarbha bodhisattva) occupies the main altar. This deity crops up in quite a few places around Taiwan, particularly places which were important to the Japanese, possibly because he is a particularly revered figure in Japanese Buddhism (in which he goes by the name Jizō). He is known for protecting travellers, children and the souls of the departed, particularly the souls of children who died before their parents.
Futian Temple also has another unexpected Japanese connection– an altar dedicated to a Japanese military officer, Hiroeda Otoemon. Hiroeda was the leader of a regiment of conscripted Taiwanese soldiers sent to fight the Allied forces in the Philippines towards the end of World War Two. As defeat became certain, the Japanese higher-ups issued orders for their troops to go out on one final suicide mission with the aim of taking as many American soldiers with them as they could, but Hiroeda chose to defy his superiors by bargaining with the opposition for the survival of the 2,000-or-so men under his command. With their safe passage home guaranteed, Hiroeda spoke to his troops telling them “You are Taiwanese and need not die unnecessarily for this war, but I am Japanese and must take responsibility for my disobedience.” He then took his own life.
Left: Ziyang Gate, the entryway to Futian Temple.
Right: Di Cang Wang seated on the main altar of Futian Temple.
Moving past Futian Temple, a flight of covered steps leads up to Quanhua Temple. As you head up, be sure to glance back over the intricately detailed roof of Futian Temple. The oldest of the temples in the complex, it was founded in 1897 according to instructions a local teacher received from the spirit of Li Bai (a Tang dynasty poet) in a vision, and the first iteration of this temple was built around a natural cave in 1901. Inside, you will find three halls with the Jade Emperor occupying a spot on the main altar.
The third temple in this tight little cluster is Sheli Cave Temple. I think this might be my favourite of the three. For a start, it has a great view looking back at Futian Temple with the settlement of Nanzhuang in the distance, but it’s also interesting in that it is a strongly female temple. The main deity enshrined within is the Queen Mother of the West (西王金母), an ancient pre-Taoism figure (the earliest records of her date back to between 1766 and 1122 BC), who has become part of the Taoist pantheon with the passing of time. She is accompanied by Dimu Niangniang (地母娘娘), a Taiwan endemic being (can that word be applied to gods?), as well as Jiutian Xuannu (九天玄女, AKA the Dark Lady of the Ninth Heaven), who aside from having a cool name, has various intriguing origin stories (bird-woman, she-demon, or maybe some type of sprite which perhaps led to her association with ‘the Taoist arts of the bedchamber’). Flying the flag for visiting Buddhists are Guanyin (觀音), and a token male in the form of the Gautama Buddha (釋迦牟尼佛).
If you visit, make sure you explore the cave altar area behind the main altar (accessed by taking the doorway on the right into the office area and past a lucky dragon spring). There are often people in here, deep in meditation, but if you’re quiet and respectful, you are welcome to poke around.
How to book accommodation at Quanhua Temple
To book a room, you need to call the temple on 037822563. Some of the staff manning the phone speak basic English, but not all of them do, so you might need a little bit of luck. Alternatively, if you need help booking, you can hire me via my commissions page on Buy Me a Coffee.
How to check in and out of the Quanhua Temple hotel
When you arrive at the temple complex, you’ll need to check in at the front desk. If you’re walking up the steps from the main carpark or the bus stop, you’ll come through the archway for Futian Temple and the hotel is the building on your left, just before you reach the temple courtyard.
When you go in, you’ll be asked for your booking name and to show ID (only one guest usually needs to present ID). Sometimes they just write your ID on their booking form, sometimes they’ll take a photocopy or photo. It feels somewhat off from an EU data protection standpoint, but that’s just how things roll in Taiwan.
You’ll be given a receipt and a room key that has your room number on it. When it’s time to check out, you can just leave your key in the bowl on the desk.
Thanks to a quirk of the landscape and construction, this “ground floor” entrance is actually the top floor, so when you need to head to your room, you’ll be going downstairs through this arched doorway adorned with the portraits of past temple custodians.
The aesthetics are best described as offbeat retro-creepy, and the overall vibes land somewhere between Wes Anderson and The Shining.
What are the rooms like at the Quanhua Temple hotel?
The type has two grades of rooms. The lower floors have older rooms that clearly have not been refurbished in decades. Even the ones that have balcony access are a little gloomy and they don’t have a view of anything much aside from the trees. They’re maybe not the nicest rooms, but they are absolutely the most characterful.
These cost NT$1,300 a night for a twin (the room rate remains the same regardless of occupancy, so it doesn’t matter if there’s one or two people).
The upper floors, meanwhile, have slightly newer rooms with marginally more comfortable beds and (if you book early enough in advance) you can choose one with a balcony that overlooks the valley and the temple’s five-storey-high colubarium pagoda.
These start at NT$1,500 a night for twin rooms, though there are also a few larger family-style rooms available.
What amenities to expect at the Quanhua Temple hotel
I should advise you now that you should not go expecting high class or luxury. The temple hotel is old and basic. In the rooms, you’ll find a TV, slippers, a hot water caddy and clean bedding, while the bathrooms are equipped with shampoo, body lotion and towels, but that’s it. If you need to use a hair dryer, you’ll need to borrow one (they’re stored either at the top of the stairs leading down to the rooms or at the end of each corridor).
And if you need hot water you can get it from the dispenser in the lobby.
Meals at the Quanhua Temple hotel
A vegetarian dinner and breakfast are included in the hotel room rate. Both are served out of the temple kitchen, which is found opposite the lobby. If you’re unsure what to do or where to go, just watch the other guests, just line up with them and the staff will sort you out.
On good weather days, everyone spills out onto the temple courtyard to eat, grabbing their chairs from stacks left around the edges, and when it’s damp, the indoor eating area is opened up.
Dinner is served at 5:30pm and is a simple meal with rice, vegetables, some sort of protein (usually tofu) and soup.
Breakfast is served at 7am and is congee with the usual toppings (cabbage, pickles, peanuts), and a steamed bun. There’s also a vat of rather nasty instant coffee.
I tend to take my own cup and utensils because the temple kitchen uses single-use items.
If you’re still hungry, there is also a little shop on the other side of the courtyard from the kitchen. It mostly sells hiking snacks and the kind of things that are used as offerings, but there are pots of instant noodles and crackers, so you’re not going to starve.
Things to do and see near the Quanhua Temple complex
Since most people visit the area for the hiking, it’s absolutely worth exploring the trails that lead up behind the temple. It’s a really fascinating landscape — the paths are dotted with many more religious structures and it’s totally unlike walking in or near Taipei. This post goes into the main trail in a little more depth. The temple also sits along the route of the Raknus Selu Trail, a long-distance route that links Taoyuan with Taichung.
If you’re staying overnight, I strongly encourage you to do a dusk/night walk after dinner. On a night walk in May, we watched flying squirrels launch themselves over a temple roof, and during an October visit, we spotted fireflies.
You could also use it as a base for hiking other fun day-hiking routes in the vicinity such as Mount Manabang, Mount Xiangtianhu, Shen-Xian Trail or Jiali Mountain.
Aside from the hiking trails, the area has other things to explore, such as the Hakka x Indigenous Nanzhuang Old Street and the Saisiyat Indigenous communities of Xiangtian Lake and Penglai. As it so happens, I have already written about these locations for Taiwan Everything, so to avoid repeating myself, I will just include a link to the relevant article here.
How to get to the Quanhua Temple complex by car
If you’re travelling by car, you’ll have to turn off Freeway No. 1 onto County Highway 124 (縣道124甲, then merge right onto Provincial Highway 3 briefly as you pass through Sanwan. Cross over Nanzhuang Stream, then as you approach a large 7-Eleven on a junction, take a left onto County Highway 124 (縣道124乙. After a short distance, look out for signs directing you left to Quanhua Temple and Lion Head’s Mountain Scenic Area. The car park sits below the temple and you’ll have a 5-minute walk until you reach the main entrance.
How to get to the Quanhua Temple complex by public transport
If you’re coming on public transport, you can either hop on a bus from Zhunan Station or Zhunan Station (East) bus stop (services 5805 and 5805A), and alight at Shitoushan stop then walk up the steps for about 15 minutes to reach the temple. It’s worth noting that the bus station in Zhunan is a little unclear, it’s kind of opposite a 7-Eleven, but there should be other people there waiting to board the same service, so just gravitate towards them. Alternatively, you can catch the 5700 Tourist Shuttle bus from Zhudong Station and alight at Lion’s Head Mountain Visitor Centre. This would mean you had to walk over the hills carrying whatever overnight kit you have, so I wouldn’t recommend it unless you’re a very light traveller. Check the Taiwan bus app to see which departure time suits you best (Google Play Store or Apple App Store).
Taiwan Trails and Tales 