Baolong Village · TW

Tiantai Mountain Lingyin Temple – Upper Court (Jiaxian)

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.