Kaiyuan Temple(開元寺)

Kaiyuan Temple(開元寺) is one of the main ancient temples of Tainan and was formerly Beiyuan Retreat(北園別館), which was built by Koxinga’s son Zheng Jing(鄭經) for his mother Empress Dong in 1680. With exquisite garden landscaping features, pavilions and buildings, plus a small winding bridge, Kaiyuan Temple’s Garden is viewed by many as the best in Taiwan. The temple preserves many cultural relics from the Ming Dynasty, making it a good place to learn about early Taiwan history. In recent years, a Buddhist academy, kindergarten and Tzu Ai Hospital have been established, bringing the temple closer to local people. It is a beautiful ancient temple that is involved in people’s daily lives.