Longshan Temple (龍山寺)

It’s day one of field studies. My group had Longshan Temple, tea shop, and Bopiliao Historical Block.

Longshan Temple
Interviewing visitors

Inside the temple we watched visitors bring offerings of food and drinks and set them on large tables. They roll wooden “moon blocks” that help answer their prayers for health, good grades, peace, money, or love. The kids found someone willing to show them how it works.

It looked like you can keep rolling until you’re happy with the answer.

This is how we roll

Fortune sticks (Qiu Qian 求簽)

Outside the temple the kids interviewed some monks. We learned that they have no hair because it’s easier to focus on more important things if you don’t have to worry about your hair.

Now off to a tea shop. They ordered green grass tea and bitter tea. I think Nora said the bitter tea was about the worst thing she’d ever tasted.

The flavor stays with you afterwards

So naturally they washed it down with boba.

Lunch was at a vegetarian noodle shop. Maya had one of her favorite dishes of the trip so far. She kept raving about it afterwards.

Experimental chopstick technique

Last stop was Bopiliao Historical Block (剝皮寮歷史街區), that had unusual architecture and 200 year old Qing Dynasty buildings.