Travel Date: 2026/01/24
It’s been almost eight years since our last visit to Baguashan Buddha in Changhua. To be honest, Changhua is not a place we go to often—mainly because parking is always a challenge. This time, even though we managed to find a spot, it was so far away that visiting multiple attractions felt unrealistic. In the end, our trip both started and ended at just one place: Baguashan Buddha.
As Lunar New Year is approaching, there are already some decorations for the Lantern Festival. However, we only experienced them during the day.
Baguashan Buddha (八卦山大佛)
The Great Buddha stands on Baguashan Hill, 74 meters above sea level, quietly overlooking Changhua City. Gautama Buddha sits on a 4-meter-tall lotus base, with the statue reaching a total height of 24 meters. When it was completed in 1961, it was one of the largest Buddha statues in Asia.
The statue itself is divided into six floors, which visitors can climb. Inside, a series of sculptures tells the story of Buddha’s life, creating a calm and contemplative atmosphere as you move upward.
Behind the statue stands the Great Buddha Temple, built in 1972. Designed in the style of an ornate palace, the temple is especially fascinating because it blends Buddhist, Taoist, and Confucian beliefs—a combination that’s quite rare in Taiwan.
The first floor is dedicated to Confucius, honored as the greatest sage and teacher.
The second floor is home to Guan Yu, the Taoist God of War. Visitors can even try lifting his weapon, which weighs an impressive 64 kilograms.
The third floor returns to Buddhism, with Gautama Buddha as the primary deity.
On both sides of the temple stand two nine-floor pagodas, which serve as columbaria, adding to the solemn and spiritual feeling of the site.
Baguashan isn’t only a religious landmark—it’s also deeply tied to Taiwan’s history. For a long time, the hill was used for military purposes. In 1895, the largest battle in Taiwan’s history took place here. Around 5,000 Taiwanese soldiers—many of them newly recruited locals from Changhua—fought against a Japanese force of 15,000. The battle ended in a Japanese victory.
Originally, a pavilion stood on the hill, but it was destroyed during the war. It was later renovated during the Jiaqing Period, and a village gradually formed around it. However, in 1914, the Japanese authorities completely destroyed the village, leaving only a single wall standing as a silent witness to the past.
