Taipei Taiwan Temple Wiki

Description

The Taipei Taiwan Temple (Chinese: 臺灣臺北聖殿; pinyin: Táiwān Táiběi Shèngdiàn) is a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and is located in Taipei City, Taiwan.

History

Missionary work began in Taiwan in June 1956, when four missionaries finished their nine-month study of Mandarin and went to serve in Taiwan. The only Latter-day Saints in the country when they arrived were a group of men from the United States military. However, by the end of the following year, 50 people had been baptized. On June 1, 1959, Apostle Mark E. Petersen made missionary work in the area official by dedicating Taiwan for proselytizing. By 1975, there were about 7,000 Church members and 30 congregations. In 1984, the year the temple was dedicated, there were 13,000 members. As of 2014, there were over 56,000 Church members in Taiwan. To the members in Taiwan, the results of missionary work as well as the temple in Taipei are a huge blessing.

At the first regional conference in Taiwan, held August 14, 1975, President Spencer W. Kimball explained the purpose of the temple that had been announced for Tokyo, Japan. “You, too, can have one,” he said. “We leave the blessings of the Lord upon you, upon your posterity, and upon this land.”

Announcement

Groundbreaking

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Taipei Taiwan Temple was held on August 26, 1982, and Gordon B. Hinckley, who was a counselor in the Church’s First Presidency, presided.

The mission home in Taipei, which stood next to the stake center, was razed to make way for the Taipei Taiwan Temple.

The Taipei Taiwan Temple was constructed with respect for local tradition including a stunning blue tile roof that complements nearby National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall.

Open House

Two years later the temple was completed. On October 9–30, 1984, a public open house was held, and on November 17–18. The open house of the Taipei Taiwan Temple attracted over 20,000 visitors including high-ranking government officials, prominent businessmen, and religious leaders of other faiths. Many requested the missionaries to visit them.

Both protesters and adorers descended on the Taipei Taiwan Temple during its public open house. Protesters, sent by a Protestant group in Hawaii, attempted to disrupt the event by creating a commotion outside the gates, though they were kindly invited to tour the temple and view informative displays. Other visitors who toured the temple were captivated by the spirit of the building—many expressing that it was the most beautiful building they had ever seen.

Dedication

President Hinckley dedicated the temple in five sessions.

The dedication was a special day for many Taiwanese members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. On the second dedication day, a typhoon was making its way to Tawain. Still, Church members attended the dedication and stood in line under the falling rain.

At the dedication of the Taipei Taiwan Temple, President Gordon B. Hinckley noted that a prison once stood on the temple site. He taught that through the sacred ordinances of the temple, the Lord had provided a way to release souls from their spiritual prisons.

In the dedicatory prayer, President Hinckley prayed that the sacred temple would always be protected and loved: “Sanctify it always with the presence of Thy Holy Spirit. May Thy watchful care be over it that it may be preserved from the storms that sweep this land and from the desecrating hands of any with evil intent. May it be sacred to all who enter its portals, and may they rejoice in the eternal ordinances to be performed herein.” ^[1]Taipei Taiwan Temple dedicatory prayer, in Church News, Nov. 25, 1984.

A Church member named Yang Tsung Ting sacrificed much to attend both the open house and dedication. He had agreed to supervise ushers during these events, but his father died in October, while the open house was going on. Tradition in China is to have the funeral several weeks later, so the father’s funeral took place a day prior to the dedication. To be together as a family in the days following the funeral is crucial in Chinese tradition. However, Brother Ting stated, “I had to make a choice. I decided to come to the temple and serve as I had been asked to do.” The blessings of the temple gave him hope in his time of grief. He said, “Just think, one year from now (at the time of the dedication) I will be able to do his work in this temple. I know he will accept the gospel message now being taught him on the other side of the veil.”^[2]“Houses of the Lord in Far-away Places Cause Great Rejoicing,” Church News, Aug. 13, 1994 Brother Ting knew that his father would get the chance to hear the message of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and accept it. Then, they could be an eternal family.

At the time the Taipei Taiwan Temple was dedicated, there were three stakes on the island. Twenty-five years later, membership had grown to ten stakes and two districts.

Dedication Order

The Taipei Taiwan Temple was the 31st temple of the Church, the third temple built in Asia and the first built in Taiwan.

Presidents

Details

Citizens of Taipei are so impressed by the beauty of the Taipei Taiwan Temple that it has been nominated as one of the most beautiful buildings in the city and studied numerous times by students of architecture.

Location

Situated just east of the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall on Ai-Kuo (Love of Country) Road, the Taipei Taiwan Temple stands out in its urban setting for its elegance and lofty spires. Adjoining the temple are other church buildings including a stake center, patron housing facility, and office building. Although it is in a crowded city, the Taipei Taiwan Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is surrounded by beautiful trees and fountains.

Exterior

The temple’s exterior is white ceramic tile, and the slanted roof is a blue-gray color. Six spires, which are not attached to the temple itself, ascend from the ground at the building’s two pointed ends. A similar six-spire design was used for other temples that were built around the same time as the Taipei Taiwan Temple.

Cladding

Windows

Symbolism

Inscriptions

Cornerstone

ERECTED
2xxx

Spires and Moroni

Spire

Moroni

Interior

The Taipei Taiwan Temple’s 9,945 square feet comprise a baptistry; instruction rooms; a celestial room.

Rooms

Individuals and Contractors

Sources and Links

Additional Articles

Sources/Citation