Songshan Feng-Tian Temple, also known as the Temple of Heaven, stands as one of the most important Taoist temples in Taipei, located in the Xinyi District near the iconic Four Beasts Mountains.
Dedicated primarily to the Jade Emperor, the temple has grown into a sprawling complex that serves as both a major religious center and a community landmark, blending ornate traditional southern Chinese architecture with vibrant cultural significance.
The temple’s origins date back to the Tongzhi era of the Qing Dynasty around the 1860s, when a Chinese immigrant from Tangshan settled in a cave on Tiger Mountain and began worshiping the Jade Emperor by hanging a red silk banner and placing a stone incense burner. Local residents gradually joined the daily rituals, establishing a simple devotional site.
During the Japanese colonial period, the cave was repurposed as an air-raid shelter amid policies that suppressed traditional religious practices.
After Taiwan’s retrocession, local gentry and elders raised ...
Wat Khae วัดแค
The temple was located on the west bank of the old Lopburi River, presently called
Khlong Hua Ro.
There are no indications in the Royal Chronicles of Ayutthaya when exactly the temple was built. Archaeological research situates the construction of the temple in the Early Ayutthaya period (1350 - 1485).
The temple was abandoned during the war of 1766-1767 and sacked by the Burmese.
Wat Khae or the Monastery of the Trumpet Tree is located off the city island in the northern area at Khlong Sra Bua in a field named Thung Kaeo. The village is called Ban Rang Khae. Wat Lamut and Wat Phisua stood in its immediate vicinity. The closest active temple, Wat Khrutharam is situated to the northwest.
The monastery consists of four principal pagodas, an ordination hall (ubosot), two
vihara, some small pagodas and other buildings surrounded by a wall. All buildings have been restored several times.
The revered monk Luang Pu Thuad resided at Wat Khae for a while. He was the favorite priest...
Wat Phraya Maen วัดพระยาแมน is located north of the city island along the Khlong Sra Bua canal.
The exact date that Wat Phraya Maen was established is unknown.
Royal Chronicles refer to a respected figure known as Phraya Maen, who was commanded by King Chakkraphat to take one thousand freemen and escort Princess Thepkasattri to Lan Sang, present day Laos, where she was set to marry.
In order to strengthen his kingdom, the Laotian
King Setthathirat moved his capital to Vientiane and fortified the city. He then proposed a marriage alliance with Ayutthaya and requested that Princess Thepkasattri, the daughter of Queen Suryothai, become his wife.
King Chakkraphat tried to trick his allies by sending a less desirable daughter instead, the younger Princess Kaeo Fa. When King Setthathirat discovered the ruse, it threatened relations among the two kingdoms, so it was arranged to send the original princess as promised. The Burmese learned of this plan and sent armies to intercept her. ...
The Artist House, also known as Baan Silapin, and the surrounding Khlong Bang Luang area represent a preserved slice of old Bangkok’s canal-side heritage in Thonburi on the western bank of the Chao Phraya River.
Khlong Bang Luang, historically part of an ancient waterway network that once formed a bend in the Chao Phraya River during the Ayutthaya period, served as a vital route for trade, transportation, and daily life, connecting communities with wooden stilt houses, temples, and markets.
During the Thonburi era and into the Rattanakosin period, the canal thrived with goldsmiths, merchants, and residents whose livelihoods revolved around the water. Over time, as Bangkok modernized with roads and urban development, many canals declined, residents moved away for city jobs, and traditional wooden homes fell into disrepair, leaving the area quiet and somewhat forgotten.
The Artist House itself is a roughly 200-year-old two-story teak wooden structure, originally a family home and grocery-gold shop ...
