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Gangtiangong

Hualien


Climb through a dragon's mouth into one of two spiral staircases that front this gigantic Matsu temple ¨C the biggest in Hualien. There is particularly lavish ornamentation in the central shrine rooms.

It's nearly 3km north of the train station via Zhongshan Road, eventually turning east through a gateway opposite the Hualien Baseball Stadium.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Hualien attractions

1. Jing Si Hall

0.32 MILES

Built in 2000, this gigantic temple-cum-performance venue has a simple yet striking, white-and-grey exterior. At its tallest point, the building is¡­

3. Martyr's Shrine

1.55 MILES

Designed like an antique Chinese palace, this colourfully gabled 1980s complex is set amid lush foliage on a small rise overlooking Hualien's single most¡­

4. Fogstand

1.59 MILES

An ambitious little gallery that showcases edgy and experimental works by Taiwanese, Asian and Western artists. Fogstand also has an artists-as-resident¡­

5. Pine Garden

1.89 MILES

Set in a graceful garden that's all a-twitter with birdsong, this 1940s concrete building was used by the Japanese military to wine and pleasure their¡­

6. Hualien Railway Culture Park

2.04 MILES

Worth a five-minute look, this area's main sight is a 1932 wooden courtyard building containing a fairly basic history of the East Coast Railway since¡­

7. Qixingtan

3.25 MILES

Qixingtan (Chihsingtan) is a former fishing hamlet whose few remaining, old, tin-roofed shacks are outnumbered by a gaggle of small but fanciful hotels¡­

8. Farglory Ocean Park

6.78 MILES

This family-oriented theme park combines Disney-style 'castle', cable car, Ferris wheel, log flume, rollercoaster and pirate ship along with some ocean¡­