We headed up to Danshui on the MRT for some sightseeing with a Taiwanese friend. We walked up to the old Spanish/Dutch fort, San Domingo. Then we walked around the campus of Oxford College. Lunch was at a waterfront restaurant, then we saw the historic Yinshan temple. After that, we walked along a bicycle path to the Mangrove Forest. We saw many crabs and many mangrove trees. Our friend took us to the top of her apartment building...the tallest in Danshui, for a look around. A very interesting little sojourn!

The temple was built in 1822. From the historical marker:

The Yinshan Temple remains the only well-preserved Dinkuan Buddhist temple in Taiwan. With donations from immigrants from Ting Zhou, the temple was built in 1822 to worship the Dinkuan Buddha, or Dipamkara, the Kindler of Light.

The Yinshan Temple is located on the mountain slope of the marginal area of Tamsui. The crescent-shaped pond in the front yard and the two wells in the back yard are said to represent the mouth and eyes of a toad respectively. Viewed in terms of Chinese Feng-shui, the toad-like landscape would bring good fortune for the Ting-Zhou people.

The architecture contains two halls, two porches, and two arm rooms. The unique characteristics of the Yinshan Temple can be seen from the wood carvings and sculptured porcelains, possibly the work of distinguished craftsmen from the east Kwang Tung Province in China.

Our friend was nice enough to take a few pictures of us on the side of the temple. Thanks!

There is a nice nature walk through a mangrove swamp near Danshui. The mangrove swamp is called "Hong Shu Lin". There is a special kind of small crab which lives in the area. We saw hundreds of them from the path.