After finishing the Xinliao Waterfall trail, we decided to make a stop at Meihua Lake.
If you leave from Taipei, take the Train 432 at Nangang station and stop at luodong station (with the express train it will take 1h10). From there take the bus GR25 and stop at Meihua Lake (25 min).
The Meihua Lake, also called Plum Blossom Lake, is situated in a really small area with not a lot of buildings and people. It’s situated in Dongshan Township, Yilan County.
Around Meihua Lake, there is a path of around 4 km. You can either walk or, what tourists usually do, rent a bike and enjoy the lake scenery.
You can also (and I Highly recommend it) walk to the back of the lake and climb to the Sanqing Temple.
If you have read the Xinliao Waterfall trail article, you know that I was already totally wet. My clothes started to dry a bit on our way to Meihua Lake, but then it started to rain a LOT, really a LOT on our way to the temple.
I must say, this trip will stay in my memory forever. The pouring rain had turned the road up to the temple into a river, seriously. But for me, out of question to turn around and go back. Thus, with my mom, we walked all the way up with that crazy water, going pretty fast above our ankles. It was a genuine unreal scene. I’m glad that for once in my life, I had good sport shoes and not sandals, as usual, because they would have litteraly been destroyed.
So after this exhausting climbing we finally arrived at the temple. And I don’t know if it was due to the feeling of release, but it was one of the most beautiful spots I’ve seen in Taiwan. The temple is simply amazing and its size super impressive.
It’s located right on the top of the mountain and you can have a perfect view of the Meihua Lake and Lanyang Plain. It was still raining, the temple was immerged in fog and it made the scenery just magical. The fog, the luxurious vegetation, the standing out red colour of the temple… so beautiful.
Covered with our fluorescent yellow little plastic raincoats (most taiwanese use these), we started visiting the temple.
The inside was as beautiful as the outside and surroundings. It has an ancient Chinese architecture that will bring you back to the Tang Dynasty.
From what I read, Sanching Temple is the most famous Taoist temple in Taiwan.
This temple has been worshiped over fifty deities and among them, three highest Taoist deities, called the Three pure ones, are being enshrined at the main hall. This temple attracts more than ten thousand tourists each year because many believe these three deities have healing powers.
