King Kai-Zhang-Sheng Temple

In the early 18th Century, at a time when Taiwan was considered “a wasteland” (according to the pamphlet), the Taipei basin was a hellhole of bandits, thieves, murderers, rapists and extortionists. Life in what is now the capital was dreary, depressing, and downright rough -until the Huang family came along.

The Huangs hailed from Zhang-Zhou, China, and they brought with them to the “wasteland” the sacred incense of the late King Kai-Zhang-Sheng, which they secured in a waterproof pouch. While traversing the hills of Neihu, in order to avoid the pillaging bandits in the lowlands, their entourage passed by a cave from which an entrancing humming noise issued forth. Seeing this as an omen from their deceased king, they set up camp at the cave, and hung his incense about a large boulder.

That night, aware that newcomers were settling in on Mount Bi, the bandits sharpened their knives down below and prepared to scale the steep hill for an attack. As the gangsters and various dregs of ‘society’ began to assemble down below for an assault, the incense on the king’s stone began to burn brightly, and the tendrils of smoke swelled to gushing black plumes. Alarmed, the Huang family huddled together under the dense mountain forest cover.

As the bandits began the steep ascent up Bi Shan Yan, the king’s stone suddenly split into three and tumbled down the mountain, triggering a massive landslide that crushed the marauding villains where they stood. So great was the avalanche from Bi Shan that the entire criminal network still lurking on the plains was sent fleeing into the Taipei wilderness, and they were never seen since. A period of prosperity and happiness followed down on the floor of Taipei, thanks to the spirit of the great king.

One small piece of the precious boulder remains at the temple, which can be seen in the Kai-Ji-Zu Temple wing.

Clear visual evidence supports this story. If you are driving over the Minquan Bridge, which links Taipei City and Neihu, and you look north, you will see three massive landslide scars on one of the green Niehu hills. That’s Bi Mountain, and perched elegantly beside the yellow-white scars is King Kai-Zhang-Sheng Temple, glistening proudly in rain, sunshine or smog.

Three other heroes are also honored at this temple. Generals Ma-Ren, Chen-Yuan-Guang and Lee-Ba-Yao. These brave and glorious heroes are honored brilliantly and ornately at this mountain locale, which offers commanding views of downtown Taipei. What a different view it was two hundred years ago, though: a steaming banyan forest swarming with bandits divided by an azure Keelung River teeming with flying fish, furry otters and Katagalan aboriginals. Ah, those were the days...

Besides learning firsthand the history of this lovely temple, which is perched safely above the smog line, the opportunities for hiking in the Neihu hills are endless. The entire range of mountains is sprinkled with temples -more than a dozen, in fact- and all of them are connected by clear footpaths that pass through healthy forests of birds, cicadas and lizards. The odd jungle gym has been assembled in various locations on the spider web of paths, as well as statues of Chang Kai Shek, Sun Yet-Sen and boulders with gold-painted engravings.

Once again and not surprisingly, the hills that form the bowl around Taipei City offer an easy chance to explore the interesting and eccentric, the beautiful and the holy of Taipei’s history and geography. One question remained in my mind as I left the temple for my scooter: what would King Kai think if he could gaze down at Taipei City from his temple and see the napalm-like cloud of air pollution and the oil slicks on the Keelung River? Perhaps he’s readying another avalanche for modern day villains!

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