Turn bad luck into fortune by touring Kaohsiung's Dragon and Tiger Pagodas
The Dragon and Tiger Pagodas are located in the city of Kaohsiung, in the south of the island of Taiwan. These particular pagodas are located on the water of Lotus Pond, near its shore. The Lotus Pond, also known as Lianchihtan, is an artificial pond in Kaohsiung that was inaugurated in 1951 next to the old city, famous for the lotus plants that grow in it and for the numerous temples around it, constituting one of the most traditional scenic areas of the city.
These striking pagodas on a lake are one of the city's best-known local attractions due to their reputation for turning bad luck into fortune. They are twin pagodas with the figure of a dragon and a tiger at their respective entrances; two very important animals in Chinese mythology.
The Dragon and the Tiger are two very complete symbols in the Chinese worldview, closely related to yin and yang. While the dragon is spiritual, wisdom and power, the tiger represents the earthly, the wild. Both complement each other and as polar opposites create the continuous and eternal cycle of life.
The pagodas, both seven stories high, are painted a striking yellow color, which contrasts with the red pillars and orange tiles that complete their structure. Although separated from each other, they are completely interconnected and both have a double spiral staircase.
Its interiors are profusely decorated with Taoist, Buddhist paintings and images of Chinese mythology. There are paintings and other artistic representations inside the temple depicting Ksitigarbha, allusions to the Jade Emperor, Confucius and the entire Chinese worldview.
Built in the 1970s, the shrine that makes up the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas is an interesting tourist attraction in Kaohsiung's Lianchihtan Scenic Area.
Beautiful polychromes of Chinese mythology decorate the interiors of the pagodas.
The access to the pagodas is made by a zig zag bridge over the waters of the lake, a small stretch of delicate beauty thanks to the mantle of lotus flowers that extends throughout the place. The entrance to both pagodas is preceded by a dragon and a tiger respectively, and access to them is through the jaws of both animals and through their bodies.
However, access to the pagodas must be done in a rigorous ritual order, entering through the dragon's throat and exiting through the tiger's throat. At the entrance there is a sign with detailed instructions on how to do the tour correctly and thus, according to tradition, turn bad luck into fortune.
During the tour, the visitor enters the sanctuary through the dragon pagoda, going up and down the building to repeat the process in the tiger pagoda, ending the ritual by exiting through its jaws. The direction of the tour is unique and at no time the visitor will be able to cross with other people in the opposite direction thanks to the double spiral staircases.
The construction of the pagodas is closely related to the nearby Zuoying Ciji temple. This temple is dedicated to Emperor Baosheng Dadi, considered the Chinese god of medicine mainly in southern Fujian, Taiwan and Southeast Asia. The Tiger and Dragon pagodas were inaugurated in the mid-1970s thanks to the efforts of the believers of the Zuoying Ciji temple, and there are several theories about the reasons for their construction.
All in all, the fascinating shrine of the Dragon and Tiger pagodas is one of the main attractions of the Lianchihtan Scenic Area, which offers a unique and traditional scene in the center of Kaohsiung, with its other historical sites, city walls, ancient houses and folk markets.
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