Taipei: a temple name carried over from Jinjiang

The present buildings of Longshan Temple, in Taipei's Wanhua district, date from a rebuilding in 1919 to 1924, under Japanese rule, and on 31 May 1945 American bombs in the Taihoku Air Raid damaged the main hall and the left corridor. The first temple on the site was built in 1738 in Manka, as Wanhua was then called, by settlers from Jinjiang, Nan'an and Hui'an counties in Fujian. They dedicated it to Guanyin and named it after the Longshan Temple in Jinjiang.

Near the Bopiliao block, Herb Lane sells herbal teas and medicinal plants. Ximending, a short walk east of Wanhua, fills with lightboxes, crowds and food stalls after dark.

Beef noodle soup in Taipei comes in two main styles, red-braised and clear broth, and xiaolongbao, braised pork rice and oyster omelettes are easy to find, with plenty of small places open past midnight. The night markets get going after dark, and one end of Raohe Street Night Market is marked by Ciyou Temple.

Taipei has a humid subtropical climate: summers are hot and damp, and afternoon thunderstorms are common. Many streets have covered arcades in front of the shops, which give shelter from both rain and sun. Scooters are everywhere, and at large intersections a painted waiting box lets them make a left turn in two stages.