Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area

From Barawbaw (the Thao name for Sun Moon Village, also known as Riyue Village), continue along the lake's ring road in a westerly direction. From the 4.8 kilometer marker, you can reach the Syuentzang Temple. The front of this temple, built in 1965, faces Lalu Lake, while the rear faces Qinglong Mountain. A fengshui master has claimed that the temple occupies a precious land where a "green dragon plays with a pearl". The temple is divided into two levels, one where the remains of the monk Xuanzang are worshipped, and the other, where the golden Sakyamuni Buddha is worshipped. Xuanzang was an eminent Tang Dynasty monk who was ordered by the Tang emperor to go to India and bring back the Buddhist scriptures. It was more than 10 years before he returned to China, bringing back over 650 sutras. Together with his disciples, he translated 75 sections, producing 1335 volumes of scripture, and making a great contribution to the development of Buddhism in China.
During World War II, the Japanese stole Xuanzang's remains from Nanjing. They were enshrined and worshipped at the Jion-ji Temple in Japan's Saitama Prefecture. In 1955, the remains were taken to Taiwan, where they were enshrined and worshipped at Xuanguang Temple, located next to Sun Moon Lake. After Xuanzang Temple was completed in November 1965, the remains were relocated there.

Syuentzang Temple is built in the Tang Dynasty architectural style, and the square bricks on the ground create a smooth and unadorned appearance. Inside the temple is a horizontal board with the words “national treasure”, written by President Chiang Kai-shek. On the outer walls of the temple are carvings of Master Xuanzang during his travels to the west. There are also three stele inscriptions. The left stele commemorates the friendship between the Chinese and Japanese. The middle provides a life history of Master Xuanzang. The right stele commemorates friendly Buddhist exchanges between the Chinese and Japanese. In addition, there are two revered stone statues in front of the door. In front of the temple is a large drum, and when ascending the steps, one can see a bell and mallet used to wake people.

Facebook：https://www.facebook.com/xuanzangTemple

National Highway No. 3》 Caotun Interchange》 Provincial Road No. 14》 Puli》 Provincial Road No. 21, 21 Jia