Place of worship · Baolong Village

Tiantai Mountain Lingyin Temple – Upper Court (Jiaxian)

Baolong Village, TW 4.6 (156 Google reviews)

AT A GLANCE

Why go?

Tucked into the green hills of Jiaxian District in eastern Kaohsiung, the Upper Court (上院) of Tiantai Mountain Lingyin Temple is one of southern Taiwan's liveliest shrines to Ji Gong—济公活佛, the 'Living Buddha,' the eccentric Song-dynasty monk beloved for turning miracles into everyday kindness. The whole Lingyin complex is divided into an Upper and a Lower Court just a short walk apart, and this Map entry is the Upper Court, where Ji Gong shares the halls with a colorful set of Daoist gods. With a 4.6 rating from hundreds of reviews and a Facebook-followed community of pilgrims, it draws both devoted worshippers and curious travelers passing along the mountain highway.↗↗

What gives the temple its reputation is lineage: tradition holds that the founding Ji Gong image traces back to the original Tiantai Mountain Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou, brought to Taiwan to spread devotion in the south. Set on a gourd-shaped hillside ringed by forest and known for a cool, spring-like climate, the grounds feel less like a busy city temple and more like a quiet mountain retreat—an easy place to linger, light incense, and drink in the view.↗

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Place of worship · Baolong Village

Tiantai Mountain Lingyin Temple – Upper Court (Jiaxian)

Baolong Village, TW 4.6 (156 Google reviews)

Photo: Google Maps

AT A GLANCE

Why go?

Tucked into the green hills of Jiaxian District in eastern Kaohsiung, the Upper Court (上院) of Tiantai Mountain Lingyin Temple is one of southern Taiwan's liveliest shrines to Ji Gong—济公活佛, the 'Living Buddha,' the eccentric Song-dynasty monk beloved for turning miracles into everyday kindness. The whole Lingyin complex is divided into an Upper and a Lower Court just a short walk apart, and this Map entry is the Upper Court, where Ji Gong shares the halls with a colorful set of Daoist gods. With a 4.6 rating from hundreds of reviews and a Facebook-followed community of pilgrims, it draws both devoted worshippers and curious travelers passing along the mountain highway.↗↗

What gives the temple its reputation is lineage: tradition holds that the founding Ji Gong image traces back to the original Tiantai Mountain Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou, brought to Taiwan to spread devotion in the south. Set on a gourd-shaped hillside ringed by forest and known for a cool, spring-like climate, the grounds feel less like a busy city temple and more like a quiet mountain retreat—an easy place to linger, light incense, and drink in the view.↗

↗

A mountain home for the 'Living Buddha'

Ji Gong—historically the monk Daoji—is remembered in Chinese folk religion as the 'Mad Monk' who wore a worn robe, fanned himself with a palm-leaf fan, and cheerfully bent rules to help the poor and the suffering. In Taiwan his cult has boomed over the past several decades, and the south is its heartland. At Lingyin's Upper Court, the focus is a gilded Ji Gong image that the temple's first abbot, Master Jing Hui, is said to have invited back from the mother temple in Hangzhou; the registered temple dates to 1984, though the devotional current here runs deeper. The image is consecrated in the 'heaven-and-earth' style, and devotees can even request a blessed replica to enshrine at home.↗↗↗↗

In the weeks before the lunar second day of the second month—Ji Gong's traditional birthday—the temple fills as delegations from other Ji Gong shrines arrive to 'borrow incense' and pay respects to the source. If your visit falls in that season, you'll catch Lingyin at its most festive.↗

What to notice around the Upper Court

Although the Lower Court holds the Buddhist monastery proper, the Upper Court is where the devotional action unfolds, mixing faiths in the warm, syncretic way of Taiwanese folk religion. The main hall keeps company with Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva on one side and a City God (Cheng Huang) on the other, while across the grounds you'll find a simple, open-air Jade Emperor pavilion (the Lingxiao 'Heavenly God' hall), a shrine to the Daoist Three Pure Ones, a Pangu wealth god, and a little Earth God temple. Wander the terraces and you'll read the whole folk pantheon in stone and incense smoke.↗↗↗

The most talked-about feature is the old 'Jade Spring' well, set roughly ten meters from the main gate and, by temple lore, located beneath Ji Gong's statue. Locals claim it dates back more than a century to the Qing Daoguang era and—remarkably—never seems to collect residue despite never being scrubbed. Worshippers ask the deity's blessing through a set of divination blocks, then draw the clear, sweet water to drink or carry home as a healing talisman. Treat it as a living belief rather than a verified marvel, and it becomes one of the most human parts of the visit.↗

The setting itself is the bonus. The temple sits on a hillside said to read, from above, like a gourd, enclosed on all sides by the mountains that give Jiaxian its cool, rain-fed, ever-green climate. Visitors often mention dendrobium orchids blooming in season, the wide, comfortable courtyards for resting, and a friendly small shop ('ganza dian') selling Ji Gong fans, joss paper, snacks and drinks. The staff's warmth—from the vice-abbot down to the volunteers—comes up again and again in reviews.↗↗

Making it part of your day

Lingyin's Upper Court works beautifully as a stop on a Jiaxian or southern-crossing mountain day. It sits right along the main highway corridor that has long linked Jiaxian to neighboring Liugui, Shanlin and the阿里山 (Alishan) fringe, so you can pair a morning of temple-browsing and incense with the district's own draws—Taiwan's taro capital, hill-top viewpoints, and the river gorge country just beyond. The walk between the two courts is short, so allow an easy hour or so to take in both halves of the Lingyin story.↗↗↗

What makes it special

01

One of southern Taiwan's most famous Ji Gong ('Living Buddha') shrines, with roots traced to the mother Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou.↗↗

02

Upper Court blends Ji Gong devotion with a folk pantheon—Ksitigarbha, a City God, a Jade Emperor hall, the Daoist Three Pure Ones, a wealth god and an Earth God.↗↗

03

The legendary century-old 'Jade Spring' well, drawn by pilgrims for its clear, sweet 'healing' water.↗

04

A gourd-shaped, mountain-ringed site with a cool, green microclimate, seasonal orchids and restful courtyards.↗↗

A little planning goes a long way

Open daily roughly 5:00 AM to 7:00 PM per Maps; arriving in the morning lets you catch incense-and-prayer activity and cooler hill air.↗↗
The site is wheelchair accessible, with an accessible entrance, accessible parking and restrooms on the grounds.↗
Find it on Guanghua Road in Baolong Village, Jiaxian District, Kaohsiung, right along the main mountain highway. Phone: +886 7 675 2123; the temple maintains an active Facebook page for current events.↗↗
If you want a fuller experience, visit the nearby Lower Court too—the Buddhist monastery half of the same Lingyin family, only a short distance away.↗↗

About this guide

Compiled with AI assistance from the sources below; this is not a first-hand visit. Place details collected October 5, 2026. Hours, access and ratings can change; confirm with the venue before visiting.

Find your way

No. 2號, Guanghua Rd, Baolong Village, Jiaxian District, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan 84741

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Opening hours +

As reported by Google Maps. Confirm holiday hours before you go.

Friday: 5AM-7PM
Monday: 5AM-7PM
Sunday: 5AM-7PM
Tuesday: 5AM-7PM
Saturday: 5AM-7PM
Thursday: 5AM-7PM
Wednesday: 5AM-7PM

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