Cebu Taoist Temple

Along the sloping roads of Beverly Hills Subdivision sits a Taoist Temple. Built 44 years ago in 1972 by the prominent Cebuano Chinese community, the Cebu Taoist Temple stands 980 feet tall (above sea level) and is renowned for its elaborate multi-layered architecture. The colorful temple overlooks a portion of the city of Cebu and has several attractions for tourists and devotees. You can take three different pathways to get inside the temple.

Brief Background

The Chinese community that built the temple patterned its entrance after the Great Wall of China. In addition to a small shrine for prayers and wishes, Cebu Taoist temple features a wishing well where tourists can throw coins and make a wish, spacious balconies that let you see a sizable area of downtown Cebu, a library full of Chinese artifacts as well as more modern collections, and a souvenir shop.

There are several travel agencies offering direct trips to the temple, but more often than not, the temple is only one of several places tourists will be taken to if they book a complete tour of Cebu City. The Cebu Taoist Temple is also a popular field trip venue for many local schools and universities. If you are on a specific budget, you can find many guide books that offer sound pieces of advice on how to get to Cebu Taoist Temple without impairing your travel budget.

Cebu City is home to a number of Chinese temples, but not all of them are open to the public. Another famous temple, the Phu Sian Temple, situated just a few blocks away from the Cebu Chinese Temple, is not open for public visitation. The Taoist temple is one of only few temples in the city that welcome worshipers and visitors from all walks of life. Non-worshipers have the option to join or observe devotees as they head over to a designated shrine, pray to the gods and perform a ritual to have their wish granted.

Taoist Rituals

The wishing ritual will first require the washing of both hands. Barefoot, devotees will enter a shrine and light up some incense sticks. They will kneel before the altar holding the incense and say their prayers. They will then place the incense in a large pot that contains all other joss sticks offered by fellow worshipers.

Devotees will take two blocks of bean-shaped wood to make their wish. How the blocks appear after they are thrown to the floor generate different meanings. If both blocks face up, it could mean that a wish may be granted. If both blocks face downward, the wish may be put on hold for some other time. The worshipper can visit the temple again even though at the moment the wish request implied “No.”

Taoist temples are places of worship for those who practice Taoism, a religion founded under the principles and teachings taught by the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu. Taoist worshipers follow a number of rituals. One ritual involves climbing 81 steps up and down the temple every Wednesdays and Sundays. The 81 steps symbolically represented the 81 chapters of the Taoist scriptures. Worshipers also consult the monks about their future and light joss sticks during these days.

Travelling from Mactan Airport to Cebu Taoist Temple

Cebu only has one commercial airport that offers both domestic and international flights. Everyone who takes a plane straight to Cebu will first land on Mactan city, where the airport is located. 

 Upon your arrival, take note of these steps: 

· From Mactan Airport, if you did not pay for any shuttle pick-up service, you have the option to ride a yellow metred taxi, a regular white taxi or a mini bus called MyBus (operated by SM, the country's biggest operator of malls). Be warned, however, that yellow metered taxis are a lot more expensive than regular white taxis. White taxis are cheaper (PHP 40 base fare) but you may need to ask the guards or the Information Center where you can hail one. The airport has strict parking rules so you may have to walk some ways off to catch a white taxi to your preferred location. MyBus is only 25 pesos but you will be taken to a fixed destination: SM City Cebu. From SM Cebu, you can take taxis or jeepneys to anywhere.

 · Metered taxis can get you anywhere in Cebu. White taxis will usually cost between PHP 200 to PHP 300 from Mactan to downtown Cebu, where most budget hotels or pension houses are located. Cebu Taoist Temple is in Beverly Hills, a mountain subdivision. Its nearest landmarks are the Capitol building in Escario Street and JY Square in Gorordo Avenue, Lahug. You may want to find a hotel or guesthouse along these areas. 

 · From Capitol or Escario, you can ride a motorcycle that will take you straight to Taoist temple. Prices will differ depending on how well you negotiated with the driver. Locals usually pay PHP 30, so you can haggle between PHP 30 and PHP 50 particularly if you are not the only one travelling to the temple.