Travel Date: 2026/02/15
The weather was absolutely beautiful, and with a week-long holiday just beginning, it would have been a pity to stay at home. The sunshine was warm but gentle, the sky was clear, and the air felt fresh — the kind of day that almost invites you to go somewhere.
We decided to visit a temple in Shitan, about an hour’s drive from our home. The journey itself was already a treat. Along the way, we started spotting cherry blossoms here and there — small hints of pink scattered across the hills. But once we arrived, we were amazed. There were so many trees in full bloom, covered in soft pink flowers. It felt like stepping into a spring painting.
The temple, surrounded by mountains and blossoms, looked especially peaceful that day. With the flowers gently swaying in the breeze and the bright blue sky above, it was the perfect way to begin our holiday.
Xieyun Temple (協雲宮)
Xieyun Temple is located on the Bajiaodong mountain range at the border of Shitan and Gongguan. Built along the mountainside at an elevation of over 700 meters, it's a temple that integrates both Buddhist and Taoist traditions. The main deity worshipped here is Guanyin (the Bodhisattva of Compassion).
According to local elders, legend says that water once naturally flowed from a rock wall at this site, gradually forming a pond. One day, an elderly woman passed by. Seeing the clear water, she drank from it to quench her thirst. She was also suffering from painful sores on her feet, so she washed them in the water. That night, Guanyin appeared to her in a dream. When she woke the next morning, her sores had miraculously healed. News of this miracle quickly spread, and believers flocked to the site. People then decided to build a small thatched shrine called “Guanyin Pavilion,” which later became the predecessor of Xieyun Temple. This occurred in the second year of the Guangxu reign (1876).
Xieyun Temple sits beside Bajiaodong Mountain, which is one of the scenic spots of the “Three-Tiered Green Terraces” (San Tai Die Cui), one of the Eight Scenic Views of Miaoli. Its location is elevated and offers magnificent scenery. Under a clear blue sky, one can gaze far into the distance: layers of green mountains and competing peaks stretch across the horizon. The twelve townships of Miaoli can be seen at a glance. In autumn and winter, clouds and mist swirl around the mountains, creating an atmosphere described as, “Deep in the clouds, one knows not where — only within these mountains.” Poets, scholars, and those concerned with the fate of their country all find special inspiration here.
The temple grounds are planted with azaleas, cherry blossoms, plum blossoms, poinsettias, and other seasonal flowers. In every season — spring, summer, autumn, and winter — visitors can come up the mountain to admire different kinds of blooms, each offering its own beautiful scenery.
A road beside the temple allows both people and vehicles to reach another temple, Dayuanjue Temple. One downhill road toward Gongguan leads to Guanyin Temple, while another road toward Shitan leads into Shitan Township.
It's also said that about a hundred years ago, a woman passing by the present site of Xieyun Temple suddenly suffered severe abdominal pain. In desperation, she drank from a clear spring in a nearby hollow. Unexpectedly, the pain stopped. Later, she returned with offerings to burn incense and give thanks for the healing water. The story spread from one person to another, and eventually local elders suggested building a temple together. It was completed in the eighth year of the Guangxu reign (1882), and Xieyun Temple became a place where people worshipped and collected sacred spring water.
A man named Peng Shengbo later moved the deities worshipped in his home — the Three Benevolent Lords and Koxinga (Zheng Chenggong), the Holy King who opened up Taiwan — to this temple. After Taiwan’s retrocession, the temple underwent two renovations and now stands in impressive form.
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