Baoan Temple, Taipei

Baoan Temple, honoured with a UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Award in 2003, is famed for its Bao Sheng Cultural Festival, attracting 50,000 participants annually. Its painted beams, crafted by master Li Song-lin over 12 years, feature 1,200 panels of folk tales and celestial beings, with 98% still original after a century. The main hall rises 15 metres, supported by 36 camphorwood columns cut from 300-year-old trees.