Confucius Temple & Buddha

Taichung is a city of about two million people.  As part of our mission office responsibilities we have been able to drive around much of the city, and the expanse of large office and apartment buildings seems to go on and on.  However, right close to our apartment are two cultural sites worth sharing with you.  The first is the Confucius Temple on a large multi-acre parcel of land.  It appears ancient, but was actually build in the last century to celebrate the contribution of Confucius to society.  We first went there on a Sunday afternoon and found the grounds to quiet and peaceful (something the city of Taichung is not).  His birthday is celebrated on September 28th, with a celebration on the temple grounds.  We plan to attend.

Confucius Temple located two blocks from our apartment

We lived here over a month before we discovered one of the largest "smiling Buddha's" in the world within a block of our apartment.  We went for an early morning walk in a direction we had yet to walk.  All of a sudden, as we turned a corner, across the street is this huge, 90 feet tall statue of the Buddha.  Truly an imposing sight.  I have provided several photos to give better perspective of how big this is.
When President Bishop was in Taichung as a young missionary he remembers the statue being in an open area, where now it is on the grounds of a temple. 

Taiwan is truly a beautiful country with cultural experiences hard to fully comprehend.