Kaohsiung Daode Temple高雄道德院
- Type
- Temples and Abbeys (Gongguan)
- Location
- Taiwan, China · Taiwan · Sanmin District, Kaohsiung · No. 27, Lane 1, Dingjin Street, beside Golden Lion Lake (not in Zuoying District)
- Coordinates
- 22.6675, 120.3269 Map ↗
- School
- Daoism in Taiwan
- First built
- 1960 (groundbreaking October 14, completed November 17) · Devotees have worshipped there since January 1955; its founder, Guo Tengfang (Daoist name Zangying, 1923–1998), established the "Taiyi Zhenlian" lineage
Overview
Kaohsiung Daode Temple is dedicated primarily to the Most High Ancestor of the Dao (Laozi), and also worships the Three Pure Ones, the Jade Emperor, and the Three Officials; it belongs to the Daoist Taiyi Zhenlian lineage, and is one of the few Daoist temples in Taiwan with a clearly identified doctrinal affiliation. Its founder, Guo Tengfang (Daoist name Zangying, 1923–1998), had propagated Daoism in Kaohsiung since the 1950s and established Taiwan's first Daoist proselytizing station in 1956. The principal golden image derives from the Tiangong Temple in Gupo Village, Dashu District, and was first enshrined at Bao'an Temple in Dagang before an altar was broken ground beside Golden Lion Lake on October 14, 1960, and completed on November 17. In 1966 Mrs. Chen Sunkuan donated about 500 ping of land; the front and central halls were completed in 1976 and the rear hall in 1984, the three halls symbolizing the "Three Powers of Heaven, Earth and Humanity." The rear hall enshrines the largest statue of the Taiyi Celestial Worthy Who Saves from Suffering in all of Taiwan. The temple also runs an institute for Daoist studies and a research class on ritual practice, engaging over the long term in Daoist doctrinal education. The temple building itself is not registered as a cultural heritage asset.
Highlights
- The ancestral temple of the Taiyi Zhenlian lineage
- The largest statue of the Taiyi Celestial Worthy Who Saves from Suffering in Taiwan
- Taiwan's first Daoist proselytizing station (1956)
- An institute for Daoist studies