Baoan is one of the finest temples in Taiwan: a generous courtyard temple complex begun in 1805, restored in the 1990s in such an exemplary fashion that it received a UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Award for cultural conservation. The principal deity is the Baosheng Dadi, the god of medicine, and the temple is at its most lively during his birthday festival in March-April.
The wood carving is some of the best on the island — competing teams of master carvers worked on different sides of the temple in the 1920s, an arrangement that pushed each to the limits of his craft. The wall murals are by the celebrated Pan Li-shui, who painted in the 1970s. Combine the visit with the next-door Confucius Temple, which shares the same shaded park.