About Taipei 5: Religions

Religions

Taiwan is probably the most religiously tolerant place in the world. Taipei is rich in beautiful, ornate temples housing Buddhist, Taoist, and Chinese folk religion deities. Xinsheng South Road is known as the road to heaven because of its high concentration of churches as well as a mosque (literally called “Pure Truth Temple” in Chinese). Several blocks away from Xinsheng South Road is the beautiful, pristine Mormon Temple as well as the Vatican’s representative office.

Visitors will find many religious leaders in Taiwan to be less dogmatic in doctrine and more supportive of interfaith dialogue based on the common goal of peace among humanity ^[1]. The Falun Gong freely meditate and express their political viewpoints in Taiwan: expect to occasionally see their advertisements. One may also occasionally see Tibetan monks strolling on the streets of Taipei.

Besides large temples, small outdoor shrines to local deities are very common, and can be spotted on road sides, parks, and neighborhoods. Many homes and businesses may also set up small shrines of candles, figurines, and offerings. Some restaurants, for example, may set up a small shrine to the Kitchen god for success in a restaurant business.

Tzu Chi is Taiwan's largest charity and relief organization, headed by the Buddhist nun Cheng Yen. The organization maintains a cable television station named Dai-ai (Big Love), which has a handful of English language shows.

Religious demographics

Here are the top five religions in Taiwan:

Religion	Members	%	Temples & Churches
Buddhism (佛教)	5,486,000	23.8	4,038
Taoism (道教)	4,546,000	19.7	8,604
Yi Guan Dao (一貫道)	845,000	3.7	3,218
Protestantism (基督新教)	605,000	2.6	3,609
Catholicism (天主教)	298,000	1.3	1,135

According to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the USA, there are about 93.5% of people identifying themselves as Buddhists, Taoists, or practitioners of Chinese folk religion. It is common for people to practice a blend of the three. Many people practice Buddhism exclusively, but those who practice Taoism more often blend Taoist religious practices with elements from Buddhism and folk traditions. It is not uncommon to find a Buddhist temple adjacent to a Taoist temple, or even under the same roof.

Additional Information

The following link to [This Month in Taiwan] provides a comprehensive listing for places of worship with the addresses given in Wade-Giles romanization. Here is a partial list:

Judiasm: The Landis Taipei Hotel
41 Minquan East Road, Sec. 2
Telephone: 2597-1234
Catholic: St. Christopher's Catholic Church
51 Zhongshan N. Road, Sec. 3
Telephone: 2594-7914
Islam: Taipei Grand Mosque
62 Xinshen South Road, Sec. 2
Telephone: 2392-7364
Website: http://www.taipeimosque.org.tw
Protestant: Grace Baptist Church
90 Xinsheng S. Road, Sec. 3
Telephone: 8369-2840
Website: http://www.gbc.org.tw
Orthodox: Orthodox Church of Taiwan
Address: 4th Fl. No. 389-12 Shi-Yuen Road Xindian City Taipei CountyTelephone:8218-9009
Website:http://orthodox.com.tw
Episcopal: St. John Cathedral
Address: 280 Fuxing South Road, Sec. 2
Telephone: 2732-7740
http://www.stjohn.org.tw/

↑ Mojahedi, Daniel. "Taipei's Places of Worship: A Peek Where Muslims, Jews, and Christians Can Worship in the City." Discover Taipei September-October 2006, No. 55, Taipei City Government, ISSN:17281741, GPN:2009005414

[1] Mojahedi, Daniel. "Taipei's Places of Worship: A Peek Where Muslims, Jews, and Christians Can Worship in the City." Discover Taipei September-October 2006, No. 55, Taipei City Government, ISSN:17281741, GPN:2009005414

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