People sometimes refer to this temple as the 'dog temple'. According to one version of the legend, 17 fishermen went missing one day and a dog pined for days for the return of his master until, unable to bear the suffering any longer, he leaped into the foaming sea and drowned himself. Local people were so impressed by this act of loyalty that they built a temple in honour of the dog. Later, the temple became associated with Taiwan's underworld and it's still common at night to see tattooed gangsters, prostitutes and other characters about.
When you arrive, local women will try to sell you small red packets used for worship. If you do buy one, you will be instructed to wave the package over burning incense, then wipe it on the dog statue's nose and head (and sometimes genitals) before placing it in the mouth.
The temple is just off Provincial Hwy 2 in front of the first nuclear power plant. However, a few kilometres back in the hills is a larger, newer version of the temple with an astonishing canine statue in the parking lot well over 15m high.
Neither sight is served by the tourism shuttle buses, unfortunately, so you need your own vehicle.
