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Taipei · Mysteries & legends

Gods, Oracles and Ghosts of Old Bangka

Before there was Taipei there was Bangka, today's Wanhua: a river port founded by migrants from China's Fujian province, where each group of fellow villagers built a temple to its own protector god. This route, designed for late afternoon, visits those temples and the stories that drift through the incense smoke: wooden oracles, statues that warn of disaster, gods who patrol by night and the customs of Ghost Month. It ends at a night market, just in time for dinner.

  • 6 stops
  • 1.9 km
  • 1 h 50 min
  • Free
Start with GPS Read about this stop 1
Main hall of Lungshan Temple with curved roofs full of dragons and worshippers in the courtyard

The route

Stop by stop

  1. 1 Ximending Tianhou TempleA Chinese sea goddess living in a former Japanese Buddhist temple, with the monk Kūkai still inside.
  2. 2 Bangka Qingshui TempleThe statue of Master Qingshui, whose nose, tradition says, falls off to warn that disaster is coming.
  3. 3 Bopiliao Historic BlockAn 18th-century street with an unsettling name, «the shed where skin is stripped», that nobody has fully explained.
  4. 4 Bangka Lungshan TempleTaipei's most famous temple was born, tradition says, from a little incense pouch that glowed in the dark.
  5. 5 Bangka Qingshan TempleThe god who came to stop an epidemic and who, every autumn, goes out at night to hunt spirits through the streets of Wanhua.
  6. 6 Huaxi Street Night Market and Ghost MonthA former red-light district turned night market, and the rules for not disturbing the ghosts of the seventh month.

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Start with GPS

Guide mode

Walk it with GPS.

Open guide mode on your phone: you’ll see your position and the distance to each stop, and we’ll let you know when you arrive. Then read or listen.

Start with GPS

  1. Turn on your location

  2. Walk to the spot

  3. Check the photo and listen

What you’ll discover

Gods, Oracles and Ghosts of Old Bangka

Asking the gods

Learn to read the jiaobei blocks, the oracle worshippers use to consult Guanyin or Mazu.

Migrant legends

Incense pouches that glow in the dark, statues that warn of danger and clan feuds that are still remembered.

Nights of spirits

The night patrols of the god Qingshan and the rules of the seventh month, when, by tradition, the gates of the underworld open.

Keep exploring

More routes in Taipei

Back to Taipei
HistoryCity Walls, Governors and a Square for Freedom MixedFrom Ximending to the River: Markets, Gates and Dadaocheng Tea

Itineraries

How many days do you have in Taipei?

We’ve planned it day by day for you: which routes to walk and in what order, what else to see and where to eat.

1

Taipei in 1 day

All three routes in one full day: the highlights, the history and the legends at dusk.

See the itinerary 2

Taipei in 2 days

A gentler pace: the three routes over two days, plus extra sights and where to eat.

See the itinerary 3

Taipei in 3 days

The city in depth: one route a day, extra museums and neighbourhoods, and a day for good food.

See the itinerary