Lin An Tai Historical Home

Historical Background：Lin An Tai Historical Home is located in Pin Chiang Park. The house is a traditional Chinese courtyard house with elegant decorations and is one of the few traditional houses preserved in northern Taiwan. The Lin family came to Taiwan in the 18th century and engaged in trade in northern Taiwan. With the money they made, they built a house and named it Today, the house is over 160 years old. It is the best-preserved and maintained ancient house in Taipei City. Cultural Highlights：Lin An Tai Historical Home is famous for its delicate carvings; one of the examples is the creative dragon carving on the front door. There are six dragons, representing the six sons in the family. The carvings of vases and bats carry the meanings of good luck, wealth and safety. Some of the tiles and bricks of this ancient building have been restored due to its long history, but the stones and woods have remained intact over the long years. The crescent shaped pond in front of the building was used for defense, raising fish, prevent fire, water supply and keep a moderate temperature.

Paoan Temple

Paoan Temple in Tatung District is dedicated to Paosheng Tati, the God of Medicine. The god was first brought to Taiwan by immigrants of Tungan, Fukien Province from the original temple in Paichueh County. Construction of the temple began in 1805 and was completed in 1830. Along with Lungshan and Chingshan, it is one of the three most important temples in Taipei. The expansive temple consists of front, middle, and rear halls and bell and drum towers. Renovations made to the temple are recorded on a tablet inscribed by the Ching scholar Chen Wang-tseng. There are also couplets by Chen Wei-ying, Chang Shu-kun, and Huang Tsan-chun. During the Japanese occupation period, the temple was converted into a Japanese language school and a bamboo mat factory. The buildings fell into disrepair over the years and were renovated with donations between 1917 and 1919, restoring them to their former glory.

Confucius Temple

The Taipei Confucius Temple is right across Talung Street. This temple honors one of the greatest philosophers and teachers of all time, Confucius, as well as other philosophers. Confucius valued simplicity, and simplicity is the dominant characteristic of his temple. Here you see none of the densely rich decor of many other temples; even the usual stone lions are missing from the entrance. The columns, doors, and windows here are also different, in that they bear no inscriptions. This indicates, it is said, that nobody dares flaunt his literary prowess before the Master. Nor are there any images in this temple. In ancient times, Confucius temples contained images of the Sage, but different craftsman carved them in different likenesses. This lack of uniformity upset Emperor Tai Tsu (A.D. 1368) of the Ming dynasty, who decreed that all new Confucius temples would henceforth contain only memorial tablets and no images. Later on, during the reign of emperor Shih Tsung (1522-1586), it was decreed that all existing images of Confucius be replaced with memorial tablets. This rule is still followed today. Standing outside of Tacheng Hall, the main hall of this temple, you can see a pair of upright cylinders in the center of the roof. These are called "book-hiding barrels," and there is a story behind them. In ancient times, the first Emperor (reigned 246-214 B.C.) of the Chin dynasty wanted to keep his people illiterate so that they would not challenge his rule; he had books burned and scholars killed. To save their beloved books, students hid them in rooftop containers built to look like chimneys.

Dihua Old Street

A walk through the Dihua Street Area gives visitors a feel of Taipei city's past. The old-town market has scores of shops selling a variety of traditional goods such as Chinese medicines and herbs, temple icons and incense, spices and dried food, colorful bolts of cloth, and bamboo and wooden crafts. A fascinating patch of the past.