Wenwu Temple

These are some of the photos that I captured when I visited this place. The view from the top is really breathtaking. I like the scenery that I have seen and witnessed from the angle I took. I think this is definitely a must visit temple in this area.

Very majestic, good fengshui with mountain backing overlooking the lake. Prefer to visit weekday as early as possible 8.30am with more tourist visit later in the day

Wen Wu temple history
During the Japanese occupation period there were two temples on the banks of the lake: Longfeng Temple in Shuishe Village and Yihua Hall in what is now Yitashao. But when the Japanese built their hydroelectric power plants, the water levels rose, and the temples had to be removed. The Japanese electric company paid compensation, and the temple managers decided to combine their resources and build a single new temple at Songboling on the northern shore of the lake. The result was today's Wenwu Temple.

The architecture of the temple has the palace style of northern China.
It is a large and imposing structure, with three separate halls.

On the second floor of the front hall is a shrine devoted to the First Ancestor Kaiji and the God of Literature; the central hall is devoted to Guan Gong, the God of War, and the warrior-god Yue Fei; the rear hall is dedicated to Confucius. This is the only Confucius Temple in Taiwan that keeps its central door open.

Temple officials say that they do this because the temple is on the bank of Sun Moon Lake and has many tourists, so they keep the door open for the convenience of the visitors.

The bronze statue of a seated Confucius makes this also the only Confucius temple in Taiwan that contains an image of the sage. In addition to Confucius, there are also statues of his disciples, Mencius and Zihsih. These three images originally came from Mainland China. They were taken to Japan to escape the Boxer Rebellion near the end of the Qing Dynasty; later on, they were reproduced and brought to Wunwu Temple.

Another interesting feature of the temple is the two vermillion stone lions on the two sides of the front plaza. They were donated by Wu Huo-shih, the late chairman of the Shin Kong Life Insurance Company, whose name meant "fire lion."

Year of Steps at Wenwu Temple
Before the round-the-lake road was built, the only way to get to Wunwu Temple was to take a boat to the pier below the temple and climb up a very steep flight of steps.

In early days, these steps were called the "stairway to Heaven." Completion of the road made it far easier for travelers to reach the temple, and the steps below the temple were gradually forgotten.

The administration recently renovated the steps. There are now 366 steps covering the 150-meter distance, symbolizing the 366 days in a year (including an extra day in leap year). At the step that represents the first day of each month, there is now a platform where people can stop and rest. Information related to the 24 solar periods is also carved into the steps, so that visitors can learn something about China's traditional folk culture as they slowly ascend the steps. The steps are now known as the "Year of Steps at Wunwu Temple", and make a very interesting visit.

There are also wind chimes along the steps, which are used by visitors to ask for blessings. Their function is somewhat like that of a wishing well. Visitors first go to Wunwu Temple and buy wind chimes for their specific animal of the Chinese zodiac, and then have the chimes passed through incense smoke by temple workers. Then the visitors write their names and the contents of their wishes, and go to the top of the Year of Steps to ring the chimes, and finally go down the steps and hang the chimes beside those steps that represent their birthdays, symbolizing the completion of their efforts.

We got there around 6PM and the sun was long gone, so there were very few people. Super peaceful and quiet! They have stamps at the info point inside :D also the bus stop is a 1min walk!

Really large and beautiful temple. Certainly a key attraction in Sun Moon Lake. Many things to explore including Fortune stick reading and Yue Lao temple to pray for luck in love. We visited early morning in a weekday and there weren’t many people.

Visting Wenwu Temple is free and definitely a must visit venue at Sun Moon Lake. You can either start from the bottom or the top. In my case, our driver drop us to the back of the temple abd we walk down towards the main entrance. Less tiring but you can also do the opposite. You can buy windchime to hang for blessing.

The architecture is grand with many 3D wall mural and pillars. The view from the temple is also very nice and scenic.

It does not take much time and can be done within 20mins.

Beautiful temple, stunning views of the sun moon lake. Arrived around 3pm.

A magnificent structure reflecting the spiritual love of the faithful. When visiting, please give yourself enough time to visit every part of the site and appreciate the work that went into creating such a beautiful temple.

Super spectacular temple, it's super pretty and it's so big you can take up to 3 hours and not be able to see it all. I recommend going as early as possible since the place gets packed. At the end of the complex there's a green wall which is worth the climb, the view from the top is super cool!
More pics at my IG: SharingTaiwan

Beautiful temple. Whenever I visit taiwan, I will make sure I visit this temple. Housing Guan Gong (God of War) and Yue Fri (Warrior God). Both are classified as loyalty warrior and undying symbol of self sacrifice and devotion to one's country. 忠义

A very beautiful temple. Many intricate designs and well maintained. Went there during weekday and it is not very crowded. Try to time it during sunset for some beautiful photos.

Opportunities to offer prayers too.

Large and very impressive. The view of the lake is phenomenal from the temple, as well as the temple itself looks spectacular. Worth a visit if you’re in Sun Moon Lake. There were small gift shops to buy some small traditional trinkets.

Nice temple, very beautiful and very big buddha… from HCMC Vietnam with love

This is a beautiful and superbly kept destination that is well worth a visit. The architecture and ornate details of the site are beautiful. There are many areas to discover inside including a museum and gift shops.

Easily accessible by public bus no. 6669 for Shuishe and It's Thao.
The temple is beautiful and has a unique multi storey architecture.
Great views of Sun Moon lake.

Very beautiful Chinese temple. One of the most attractive place to visit when coming to Sun Moon Lake. Easy going by the Lake-round bus. There are three divided parts of temple with different decorations. Delicate sculptures. Nice view of the lake. There are many gods to make a wish for such as your love, life, family, and education. I suggest you to spend at least one hour to take a look of all spaces here.

A big temple at Sun Moon Lake. Must visit! Very well kept and peaceful. Nice scenery from the top

I like the lake view on the top of this temple.

Very beautiful 100+ year old Wenwu Temple, with 365 steps of stairs opposite the temple that goes down to the lake. Each step has names of famous people w/their birthdays. This temple highlights 2 patron gods of civil and martial affairs. You’ll see small gold lanterns hung up around the temple. These are people’s prayers for blessings on their homes, schooling, cars, relationships, and good luck. (I bought 2 for 600NT or $20USD, so I could hang 1 up in the temple & 1 to take home).

Been to many temples and I must confess Wenwu was definitely able to impress me. One could spend a lot of time just roaming through this place. Go to the sky deck for a spectacular view. Beautiful temple and be sure to come for the sunset. So beautiful!

Wenwu Temple is very nice temple to visit and it’s has lots of rooms for Buddha and pray 🤲 moreover, it’s has machine for check or pray what we wish for, it’s opposite the lake so it’s so cool and nice view *