Hsing Tian Kong, Taipei台北行天宫
- Type
- Temples and Abbeys (Gongguan)
- Location
- Taiwan, China · Taiwan · Zhongshan District, Taipei · No. 109, Section 2, Minquan East Road; together with its branch temple in Beitou and the Xingxiu Temple in Sanxia, known as the "Three Palaces of Xingtian"
- Coordinates
- 25.0631, 121.5338 Map ↗
- School
- Daoism in Taiwan
- First built
- 1943 (established as "Xingtiantang")/1949 (renamed Xingtian Gong)/1968 (main hall in Taipei completed) · Founded by Daoist Master Xuankong (Huang Cong), a coal-mining proprietor; it originated from the phoenix-altar (luantang) tradition and carried out religious reform.
Overview
Hsing Tian Kong, Taipei, was founded by Daoist Master Xuankong (Huang Cong), a coal-mining proprietor, who established the "Xingtiantang" in 1943; it relocated and was renamed Hsing Tian Kong in 1949, and the present main temple in Taipei was completed in 1968; together with the Xingxiu Temple in Sanxia and its branch temple in Beitou, the three are known as the "Three Palaces of Xingtian." It principally enshrines Lord Guan (Guansheng Dijun, the "Benevolent Lord"), together with Lü Dongbin, Zhang Dan, Wang Shan, and Yue Fei, known jointly as the "Five Benevolent Lords"; it belongs to the phoenix-altar (luantang) system of the "Benevolent Lord" cult, blending elements of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism, and is not a traditional Zhengyi or Quanzhen temple. Hsing Tian Kong is known for its practice of religious reform: it does not conduct spirit-writing sessions, burn ceremonial paper money, offer sacrificial meat, stage operas to entertain the gods, maintain donation boxes, or accept incense-oil money; from August 26, 2014 it went further, removing its offering tables and large incense burner and replacing them with worship by pressing palms together, becoming a landmark case of environmentally conscious ritual reform in Taiwan. The temple runs "five great undertakings" in religion, culture, education, medicine, and charity, and maintains the Benevolent Lord Hospital, a library, and a publishing division; fortune-calming and consultation services are performed by volunteer staff free of charge. The Taipei MRT has a station named "Xingtian Temple" after it.
Highlights
- The cult of the Five Benevolent Lords
- The 2014 reform removing the incense burner and ending incense-burning
- The Benevolent Lord Hospital
- Free fortune-calming and consultation services