Dalongdong Baoan and Monga Longshan temples in Taipei City were designated national monuments by the Ministry of Culture Nov. 12, reflecting their rich historical and cultural value.
Under the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act, the upgrade from municipal to national level provides access to central government funding of up to 95 percent of expenses for restoration work. The MOC’s Bureau of Cultural Heritage will now oversee the temples, the ministry said.
According to MOC Minister Cheng Li-chiun, who visited the two temples to officially confer the new statuses, Baoan and Longshan are valuable assets owing to their rich architecture and decorative work, as well as the religious and social roles they play in local communities. The heritage sites are also important tourist attractions for overseas visitors, Cheng added.
Built in 1830, Baoan is a Taoist temple whose main deity is Baosheng, the God of Medicine. The temple was awarded a UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation in 2003 following a large-scale restoration project.
Longshan Temple, constructed in 1738, houses a mixture of Buddhist and Taoist deities. It has undergone numerous renovations after being damaged by earthquakes, fires and most recently World War II bombing raids.
According to the bureau, there are more than 920 locally and nationally designated monuments in Taiwan. The upgrading of Baoan and Longshan temples means that 100 of these fall under central government jurisdiction. (KWS-E)
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