Cradled at 748 meters above sea level amid the misty forested peaks of Yuchi Township in central Taiwan's Nantou County, Sun Moon Lake (日月潭, Taiwan's largest natural alpine body of water and the ancestral homeland of the indigenous Thao people centered on sacred Lalu Island) has captivated travelers for generations with its eastern sun-round basin meeting its western crescent-moon channel. Yet what elevates Sun Moon Lake from a scenic mountain reservoir into one of East Asia's most evocative pilgrimage landscapes are the two contrasting sanctuaries anchoring its southern and northern shores: serene Tang-dynasty-inspired Xuanzang Temple (日月潭玄奘寺) perched on Green Dragon Mountain in the south, and resplendent golden-roofed Sun Moon Lake Wenwu Temple (日月潭文武廟) ascending three imperial terraces up the steep northern cliff.
Set twenty kilometers south of monumental Chung Tai Chan Monastery in Puli Basin and strikingly distinct from lowland Tainan Confucius Temple, these twin lakeside sanctuaries weave three foundational streams of East Asian civilization across a single sheet of emerald water: the indomitable Buddhist quest for truth embodied in an authentic cranial relic of Tang Tripitaka Master Xuanzang, alongside Confucian scholarship and Taoist-martial loyalty overlooking the clouds.
IMaster Xuanzang's Seventh-Century Skull Relic in the South and Civil-Martial Sages in the North
High on the pine-clad southern ridge of Sun Moon Lake, Xuanzang Temple holds extraordinary stature across the Buddhist world as one of the very few sanctuaries enshrining an authenticated parietal skull relic (dinggu sheli) of historical Tang Dynasty monk-scholar Tripitaka Master Xuanzang (玄奘大師, 602 to 664, immortalized in folk literature as Tang Sanzang of Journey to the West, who braved desert wastes and the Pamir heights for seventeen years from Chang'an to India's Nalanda Monastery before translating 75 Sanskrit works in 1,335 fascicles, including the monumental Mahaprajnaparamita Sutra and the 260-character Heart Sutra chanted daily across East Asia and Vietnam). Originally interred near Chang'an after his passing in 664 and moved in 1027 during the Northern Song dynasty by monk Kezheng to Nanjing, Master Xuanzang's stone reliquary lay hidden underground for centuries.
In December 1942, Japanese soldiers excavating earth outside Zhonghua Gate in Nanjing uncovered the inscribed Song dynasty stone coffin containing Master Xuanzang's parietal bone. While portions remained in Nanjing and Beijing, a portion was escorted to Jion-ji (Ci'en Temple) in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Following World War II, through sustained Buddhist diplomacy spearheaded by Elder Master Baisheng, Changkya Khutukhtu and the Buddhist Association of the Republic of China, the Japanese Buddhist Sangha formally presented a portion of Master Xuanzang's skull relic to Taiwan on 25 November 1955. Initially venerated beside the lakeshore pier at Xuanguang Temple for ten years, the relic was solemnly carried up the mountain trail in November 1965 and enshrined inside a crystal-and-gilt stupa on the third floor of newly completed Xuanzang Temple.
Directly across the lake on the steep northern slope rises Sun Moon Lake Wenwu Temple, celebrating the classical ideal of harmony between Civil Learning (Wen) and Martial Integrity (Wu). Formed in 1938 when rising waters from the Japanese-era Sun Moon Lake hydroelectric project submerged two older shoreline shrines (Longfeng Temple at Shuishe and Yihua Hall on Lalu Island) and prompted residents to unite both congregations on higher ground, Wenwu Temple climbs three majestic terraces up the mountainside. The front first terrace (Shuiyun Palace) honors the Founding Patriarch and Wenchang Dijun, patron deity of literature and examinations, while the middle second terrace (Martial Sage Hall) enshrines two supreme paragons of loyalty, Three Kingdoms general Guan Sheng Dijun (Guan Yu) alongside Southern Song patriot General Yue Fei, and the crowning third terrace (Dacheng Hall) venerates Supreme Sage Confucius with his Four Correlates and Twelve Philosophers.
Unlike traditional lowland Confucian temples across Taiwan that enshrine only wooden spirit tablets and keep their central portal sealed except on Confucius's birthday, Wenwu Temple's Dacheng Hall holds two island-wide distinctions: it keeps its grand central gate wide open year-round to welcome ordinary pilgrims of every background, and it enshrines cast-bronze statues of Confucius and his disciples, allowing visitors to behold the Great Teacher face to face high above the lake.
Seven hundred meters uphill through cedar and bamboo forest behind Xuanzang Temple rises 46-meter octagonal Ci'en Pagoda (慈恩塔, structurally completed in January and opened in April 1971 atop 954-meter Mount Shabalan in filial tribute to maternal devotion, with its pinnacle reaching an exact elevation of 1,000 meters above sea level). Its very name, Ci'en ('Loving Grace'), echoes Great Ci'en Monastery in Tang Chang'an where Master Xuanzang directed his royal translation bureau beside Giant Wild Goose Pagoda thirteen centuries ago.
Travelers cruising Sun Moon Lake by ferry often confuse lakeside Xuanguang Temple (玄光寺) with upper Xuanzang Temple (玄奘寺). The two are linked by the shaded 850-meter stone Green Dragon Mountain Pilgrimage Trail: Xuanguang Temple sits right above the ferry jetty (famed for its engraved lake-view boulder and shiitake tea-egg stand, where the relic rested temporarily from 1955 to 1965), whereas Master Xuanzang's actual parietal skull relic is enshrined quietly upslope inside three-story Xuanzang Temple.
IITwentieth-Century Waters: The 1938 Hydroelectric Relocation and the 1955 Relic Return
Both sanctuaries owe their present mountain perches to decisive twentieth-century chapters in Taiwan's engineering, diplomatic and architectural history.
- 1934 to 1938Hydroelectric lake expansion and merger of two shoreline shrines into Wenwu TempleWhen completion of the Sun Moon Lake hydroelectric dam in 1934 raised water levels by more than twenty meters, villagers relocated Longfeng Temple and Yihua Hall uphill to the northern shore, inaugurating unified Wenwu Temple in 1938.
- 1942 to 25 Nov 1955Discovery of Master Xuanzang's skull relic in Nanjing and Buddhist return from Japan to TaiwanUnearthed in an inscribed Song stone reliquary in Nanjing in December 1942 and partly enshrined at Jion-ji in Saitama, Japan, a portion of Master Xuanzang's skull relic was ceremonially welcomed to Taiwan on 25 November 1955 and housed first at Xuanguang Temple.
- November 1965Inauguration of Tang-style Xuanzang Temple atop Green Dragon MountainConstructed in restrained white-and-bronze Tang architectural style higher on Green Dragon Ridge, Xuanzang Temple opened in November 1965 to permanently enshrine Master Xuanzang's parietal bone relic.
- 1969 to 1975Completion of Ci'en Pagoda (1971) and monumental Northern-Palace rebuilding of Wenwu TempleWhile nine-story Ci'en Pagoda was completed in early 1971 and opened in April 1971 behind Xuanzang Temple, Wenwu Temple on the north shore was completely reconstructed between August 1969 and 1975 by master temple architect Hsieh Tzu-nan (with the main hall consecrated in January 1972 and full completion in 1975) into Taiwan's grandest three-tiered Northern Palace temple complex.
- 1999 to presentPost-921 Earthquake restoration and creation of the 366-Step Year-of-Birth StairwayFollowing structural repairs after Nantou's magnitude 7.3 Jiji earthquake of 21 September 1999, both temples were reinforced and Wenwu Temple unveiled its popular lakeside 366-step Year-of-Birth Stairway.
Half a century after the 1955 relic ceremony, Jion-ji in Saitama Prefecture and Sun Moon Lake's Xuanzang Temple formalized a sister-temple covenant, turning this quiet alpine monastery in Nantou into an enduring bridge of postwar East Asian Buddhist reconciliation.
IIISerene Tang Minimalism at Xuanzang Temple and Soaring Northern Palace Splendor at Wenwu Temple
Visiting both shores in a single circuit reveals a striking architectural dialogue between austere seventh-century Tang monastic clarity in the south and opulent imperial Northern Palace grandeur in the north.
Eschewing ornate polychrome ceramic figures, three-story Xuanzang Temple features crisp white plaster walls, bronze-toned roof tiles, twin bell and drum pavilions, the plaque Supreme Jewel of the Nation, and engraved stone maps tracing Xuanzang's 17-year trek to India.
On the hushed third floor of Xuanzang Temple, pilgrims bow before the gilt-and-crystal stupa housing Master Xuanzang's parietal bone relic, while the pine-shaded front terrace frames an exact bird's-eye vista of tiny Lalu Island floating in emerald water.
Guarding Wenwu Temple's monumental triple gateway stand two 6-meter red stone guardian lions gifted by Shin Kong founder Wu Ho-su, overlooking the steep lakeside staircase of 366 granite steps (one for every calendar date including 29 February) hung with golden wish chimes.
Occupying the central terrace of Wenwu Temple, the Martial Sage Hall dazzles with gilded octagonal caisson domes, openwork green-stone dragon columns, and majestic altars to Guan Sheng Dijun and General Yue Fei beside a massive bronze Green Dragon Crescent Blade.
Crowning the uppermost cliff terrace under imperial yellow glazed tiles, Dacheng Hall houses bronze statues of Confucius, Mencius, Yan Hui, Zengzi and Zisi, opening onto rear mountain pavilions commanding sweeping views across Sun Moon Lake.
| Sanctuary or structure | Style and date | Shoreline location | Signature relic or architectural highlight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xuanzang Temple Main Hall and Relic Floor | Three-story Tang Dynasty style, Nov 1965 | Southern shore on Green Dragon Mountain (No. 389 Zhongzheng Rd.) | Enshrines Master Xuanzang's parietal skull relic and three commemorative Sino-Japanese steles |
| Ci'en Pagoda (慈恩塔) | 46-meter, 9-story octagonal pagoda, April 1971 | Summit of Mount Shabalan above Xuanzang Temple | Spire reaches exactly 1,000 meters elevation with a bronze bell on the top floor |
| Shuiyun Palace and Giant Lion Forecourt | First terrace Northern Palace style, 1969 to 1975 | Lower tier of Wenwu Temple, north shore (No. 63 Zhongzheng Rd.) | Enshrines Wenchang Dijun, fronted by 6-meter red stone lions and 366-step Year Stairway |
| Martial Sage Hall (武聖殿) | Double-eaved central palace hall, 1969 to 1975 | Middle tier of Wenwu Temple, north shore | Jointly honors Guan Yu and Yue Fei beneath gilded caisson ceilings |
| Dacheng Hall of Confucius (大成殿) | Imperial yellow-tiled summit hall, 1969 to 1975 | Upper tier of Wenwu Temple, north shore | Taiwan's only Confucius Hall with open central gates year-round and bronze sage statues |
IVLandform Reading: The Green Dragon Playing with the Lalu Pearl and the Northern Mountain Throne
Among classical masters of Form School Feng Shui in Taiwan, Sun Moon Lake is celebrated as a supreme alpine Celestial Pool Gathering Qi, with Xuanzang Temple and Wenwu Temple occupying the two prime meridian nodes along its north-south dragon axis.
Viewed from the southern shore at 23.84864 degrees north latitude and 120.91553 degrees east longitude, a vigorous mountain spur descends northwestward from Mount Erkan and 954-meter Mount Shabalan (crowned by Ci'en Pagoda as the immediate Ancestral Peak) along narrow Qinglongshan (青龍山, Green Dragon Mountain) straight down to the water's edge at Xuanguang Peninsula. Directly off the tip of that peninsula floats wooded Lalu Island (拉魯島, historically Zhuzidao or Pearl Island) right in the emerald heart of the lake. Classical geomancy hails this topography as Taiwan's textbook Green Dragon Playing with the Luminous Pearl formation: Xuanzang Temple sits squarely atop the dragon's brow along a Sitting Southeast Facing Northwest axis, gazing straight across the water over the Lalu Pearl.
Across the basin on the steep northern rim at 23.86997 degrees north latitude and 120.92747 degrees east longitude, Wenwu Temple commands a majestic Mountain-Backed, Water-Facing throne oriented Sitting North Facing South (slightly Southwest). Rising in three stepped palace terraces against the sheer northern mountain wall as a towering Black Tortoise wind-screen and flanked by forested spurs on left and right as embracing Green Dragon and White Tiger arms, Wenwu Temple surveys nearly eight square kilometers of calm alpine water where the round eastern Sun basin meets the curved western Moon channel as a vast natural Bright Hall reflecting sky and peaks in serene equilibrium.
VConfucius Day Feather Dances, Master Xuanzang Memorials and Vietnamese Pilgrims at the Lake
Uniting Buddhist monasticism with Confucian and martial temples around a single alpine shore, Sun Moon Lake's ritual calendar weaves together key Gregorian civic dates (such as Confucius's Birthday) and sacred feasts on the traditional Lunar calendar.
| Time of year | Calendar observed | Ceremony or Dharma assembly | Observance at Xuanzang Temple and Wenwu Temple |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lunar New Year's Eve and Spring Festival | Lunar calendar | Midnight Bell Striking and Hanging Birthday Wind Chimes on the 366 Steps | Visitors descend Wenwu Temple's 366-step Year-of-Birth Stairway to locate their exact birth date stone and hang golden prayer chimes overlooking the lake. |
| 5th day of 2nd Lunar month | Lunar calendar | Memorial Dharma Assembly for Tripitaka Master Xuanzang | Monastics and lay pilgrims gather at Xuanzang Temple to chant Xuanzang's own translation of the Heart Sutra before his third-floor skull relic. |
| 8th day of 4th Lunar month | Lunar calendar | Buddha's Birthday Bathing-the-Buddha Rite on Green Dragon Mountain | Fragrant herbal water is ladled over the infant Buddha image in Xuanzang Temple's quiet pine-ringed courtyard. |
| 24th day of 6th Lunar month | Lunar calendar | Grand Birthday Celebration of Guan Sheng Dijun at Wenwu Temple | Visiting temple delegations from across central Taiwan ascend to the Martial Sage Hall with ceremonial music and offerings. |
| 28 September | Gregorian calendar | Confucius Birthday Ceremony and Classical Eight-Row (Bayi) Feather Dance | Solemn Confucian rites and student performances of the ancient Bayi plume dance unfold before the open gates of Dacheng Hall high above the lake. |
For Vietnamese travelers as well as hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese workers, students and families living across central Taiwan in Taichung, Changhua and Nantou, Sun Moon Lake is a beloved pilgrimage outing, especially when welcoming parents visiting from Vietnam. Because Master Xuanzang's journey to India and his classical translation of the Heart Sutra (Bat Nha Tam Kinh) are cherished across virtually every Vietnamese Buddhist household, standing quietly on the third floor of Xuanzang Temple before the authentic cranial relic of the seventh-century master evokes deep spiritual reverence, followed by a scenic ride around the lake to bow before Confucius and Guan Gong and find each family member's birthday step at Wenwu Temple.
VILocation And How To Get There
- Address
- No. 389 & No. 63, Zhongzheng Road, Sun Moon Village, Yuchi Township, Nantou County 555, Taiwan (南投縣魚池鄉日月村中正路389號玄奘寺及63號文武廟)
- Getting there
- From Taipei or Kaohsiung, ride the Taiwan High Speed Rail to THSR Taichung Station, exit at Ground Floor Exit 5, and board the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle Sun Moon Lake Express (Nantou Bus Route 6670, approx. 80 to 90 minutes) directly to Shuishe Visitor Center. From Shuishe, hop aboard Round-the-Lake Bus Route 6669, which stops directly outside Wenwu Temple on the north shore (about 10 minutes) and continues along the east shore to stop directly outside Xuanzang Temple on the south shore (another 20 minutes).
- Coordinates
- 23.84864, 120.91553
Both sanctuaries are effortlessly linked by the Sun Moon Lake Round-the-Lake Bus (Route 6669). When ascending to the third floor of Xuanzang Temple to venerate Master Xuanzang's parietal skull relic, observe complete silence, remove hats, and refrain from flash photography directed at the crystal reliquary. Visitors with thirty to forty minutes to spare are richly rewarded by walking the shaded forest trail across the road from Xuanzang Temple up to nine-story Ci'en Pagoda to ring the summit bell at 1,000 meters elevation and behold the entire Sun-and-Moon contour of the lake below.
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?Quick Questions
Is the relic inside Sun Moon Lake's Xuanzang Temple truly a bone relic of the historical monk Xuanzang?
Yes: it is an authenticated portion of the parietal skull bone of Tang Tripitaka Master Xuanzang (602 to 664), unearthed in an inscribed Song stone coffin in Nanjing in 1942, kept at Jion-ji in Saitama, Japan, and ceremonially presented by Japanese Buddhists to Taiwan on 25 November 1955.
What is the difference between lakeside Xuanguang Temple and upper Xuanzang Temple?
Xuanguang Temple sits right above the ferry pier (where the relic stayed temporarily between 1955 and 1965), whereas three-story Xuanzang Temple sits 850 meters uphill on Green Dragon Mountain and permanently enshrines Master Xuanzang's actual skull relic on its third floor.
How is Wenwu Temple's Confucius Hall unique among Confucian temples in Taiwan?
Rebuilt between 1969 and 1975, Wenwu Temple's Dacheng Hall is the only Confucian sanctuary in Taiwan that leaves its central front portal open year-round for everyday visitors and enshrines cast-bronze statues of Confucius and his disciples alongside spirit tablets.
Why does the Year-of-Birth Stairway below Wenwu Temple have exactly 366 steps?
Rising from the lakeshore to Wenwu Temple's plaza, the granite stairway counts 366 steps for every calendar day of a leap year (including 29 February), each engraved with notable historical figures born on that date so visitors can hang wish chimes beside their own birthday.
How can visitors travel easily between Wenwu Temple and Xuanzang Temple without a car?
Sun Moon Lake Round-the-Lake Bus Route 6669 connects Shuishe Visitor Center directly to the front gates of both Wenwu Temple on the north shore and Xuanzang Temple on the south shore, or visitors can take a lake ferry to Xuanguang Pier and hike 15 minutes up the shaded Green Dragon Mountain trail.