Cebu Taoist Temple宿务道教庙（定光宝殿）
- Type
- Overseas Daoist Temples
- Location
- Philippines · Cebu Province · Cebu City · Beverly Hills Subdivision, Canyon Road, Brgy. Kalunasan; elevation about 110 meters
- Coordinates
- 10.3338, 123.8877 Map ↗
- First built
- Completed in 1972 · Funded and built by Cebu's Chinese-Filipino community; not included on the national cultural heritage list of the Philippines
Overview
Cebu Taoist Temple was built in 1972, funded by Cebu's Chinese-Filipino community, on the high ground of the Beverly Hills subdivision overlooking downtown Cebu City; it is the most famous religious site in the Philippines to bear the name "Taoist Temple." The temple centers its worship on the teachings of Laozi; its entrance is modeled on the ramparts of the Great Wall, and its eighty-one steps symbolize the eighty-one chapters of the Daodejing — a design that translates the number of chapters in the classic into architectural ritual, and one that is rather unusual among overseas Daoist sites. Worshippers climb the steps to burn incense on Wednesdays and Sundays, and consult Daoist priests to interpret oracle slips; to make a wish, one must wash one's hands, enter the hall barefoot, and cast divination blocks — a wish may be made only if both blocks fall in the favorable position. Unlike the adjacent Phu Sian Temple, which is not open to the public, this temple is open to worshippers and visitors alike. No clear published record identifies the specific deity chiefly enshrined or the Daoist lineage to which the temple belongs. It is not included on the heritage lists of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines or the National Museum.
Highlights
- Eighty-one steps symbolizing the eighty-one chapters of the Daodejing
- Entrance modeled on the ramparts of the Great Wall
- Ritual of casting divination blocks to make wishes
- Overlooks downtown Cebu City