Museum of World Religions 世界宗教博物館 – Understand the World’s Major Beliefs

Our Journey:

We have been to the Museum of World Religions once. I took my kids with me and we had a good time; there are a number of children-friendly exhibits here. Also, there is plenty of information about the major religions in the world, including large miniatures which are interesting to look at. There are also many other artifacts to explore. This museum is a fun half-day trip. I am Christian, and even though my specific Christian faith was not mentioned in the museum, I still had a great time. Overall I would recommend going especially if you have an interest in world religions.

The Museum of World Religions is on the northeast side of the Beyond Plaza shopping mall. You cannot enter the museum from within the shopping mall, you have to enter from the outside entrance on the ground level. However, the nearest parking is in the shopping mall.

View of the entrances to the museum with ten major religions represented by symbols.

Entrance is 300 NT per person to see all the exhibits.
You can buy tickets for a discount on Klook here or KKday here.  

Also, socks are required. If you do not have socks, you will need to buy some for some exhibits.

There are also some lockers on the main floor that you can use.

Water Curtain

One of the first things you will see on the main floor is a curtain of water in front of some glass.

From the museum website it says: “Place your hand into the water curtain and let the water flow through your fingertips and palms. Feeling the touch and hearing the sound of the flowing water may be likened to experiencing the beginning of life in the mother’s body. It also reminds people of cleansing and purification in different religious traditions. The baptizing of Jesus in the Jordan River, the revelation received by a Sikh Guru when taking a bath, the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara’s sprinkle of water for the salvation of humanity, the water ablution pavilions in Shinto shrines, and the ablution before Islamic prayers involve water to bring cleanliness and transcendence.”

“Island Sanctuary” MWR Kids & Teens

The first permanent exhibition you will see is of the “Island Sanctuary” which is meant for kids and teens.

Here the kids can play in sand which is made out of recycled plastic beads, and they can also color with chalk on the wall. My kids spent quite a long time playing in here.

There are lots of themes of the ocean here.

“A Sanctuary Island for Various Children
Participatory Curatorial Workshop
Genesis Flood in a Museum: A Sanctuary Island
Children’s play exists in the intermediate area between internal imagination and external reality, where the development of their emotions and interpersonal relationships begins.
The core concept of attachment theory is “Secure base behavior.” A secure infant can use the attachment figure as a secure base for its exploration and a safe refuge in times of fear and anxiety. They trust that the attachment figure can respond to their needs and has the capacity to be their secure base. A secure base is a place where children, adolescents, and even adults can repeatedly leave to explore and return to when needed.
In the first participatory curatorial workshop, “Chronicles of the Flood in the Museum: A Sanctuary Island,” we follow the children in building their own shelters to embody their beliefs in a sense of security. The workshop, starting from an emergency kit to evacuation, unfolds with three main themes: “Genesis Flood—Pressure from the Outside,” “Safety Zone—My Inner Haven,” and “Conversation with Guardian Objects—My Inner Strength.”
Through working with children, we transform curatorial discourse into a tangible presentation of children’s culture in real life.
This suggests a new model for the MWR Kids & Teens, presenting a direct interpretation of the potential operational concept in the future. MWR Kids & Teens preserves the differences between different children, providing them a spiritual refuge. It is a sanctuary island that supports children in addressing the emotional challenges in the world around them, as well as during the flood of events in life.
Key development themes include children’s beliefs/cultural participation, the visible and invisible aspects of beliefs, child-friendliness, and a foundation for children’s life education.”

In this room was another sand play area.

Pilgrims’ Way

Along the hallway to the main exhibition is the Pilgrim’s Way, which has some basic questions about life asked by many religions.

You can see a glimpse of downtown Yonghe from the windows here.

One question asked is, who was I before I was born? 在出生之前，我是誰？

Golden Lobby

At the end of the hallway, at the entrance of the main exhibit is a giant domed lobby plated in gold. Here are the words “love is our shared truth” and “peace is our eternal hope” written in fourteen languages on the floor.

On the floor are many animal symbols that represent the heavens or space and time in different religions.

Here is an explanation of the Golden Lobby in Chinese. It is difficult to try to represent all the religions in one piece of art, but I think they did an okay job with this.

Great Hall of World Religions

In the Great Hall of World Religions there are ten religious traditions exhibited: Ancient Egypt, Maya, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Daoism, Shinto, and Taiwan Folk Religion.

The area is kind of dark and there is a space for each religion with artifacts from each place behind a glass frame.

In the middle of the room is a ramp that leads up to models of religious buildings around the world.

The Greatest Sacred Buildings

In the Greatest Sacred Building exhibit, you can find models of the Dome of the Rock, Luce Chapel, Golden Temple, Ise Grand Shrine, Kandariya Mahadeva Temple, Chartres Cathedral, Buddha’s Light Temple, Borobudur, Assumption Cathedral (Trinity St. Sergius Monastery), and Altneuschl (Old-New Synagogue).

Borobudur

Borobudur is a large pyramid in Indonesia dating to 900 AD with hundreds of Buddha statues, showing the various stages of the life of the Buddha.

Kandariya Mahadeva Temple

Kandariya Mahadeva Temple is a Hindu Temple dating back to the 10th Century AD and is one of the most representative pieces of architecture from the Chandela dynasty in north-central India.

Assumption Cathedral (Trinity St. Sergius Monastery)

Assumption Cathedral (Trinity St. Sergius Monastery) is a famous Christian Cathedral in Russia dating back to the 15th Century.

Golden Temple

The Sikh Golden Temple dates back to the 16th century and is the most important temple in Sikhism.

Luce Chapel

The Luce Memorial Chapel in Tunghai University,  Taichung has a unique shape that has made it the icon of Taichung City. It is the central landmark of Tunghai University, completed in 1962 in honor of Rev. Henry Luce. Now it is one of Taichung City’s most popular tourist attractions. You can check out our full blog on this chapel here.

Buddha’s Light Temple

Buddha’s Light Temple dates back to the 9th Century Tang Dynasty in Shanxi Province, China. Originally it had over 100 buildings in the complex and over 200 statues.

Ise Grand Shrine

Ise Grand Shrine dates back to the 2nd Century in Japan and is a great example of early Shinto shrines.

Chartres Cathedral

Chartres Cathedral was built in the 12th Century in France and is a great example of French Gothic Architecture.

Religious Life of the Taiwanese

This exhibit shows the Religious Life of the Taiwanese including folk beliefs such as worshipping gods and ancestors.

Daoism

There is also a display here for Daoism, which started in China and is based on the teachings of Laozi, Zhuangzi, and others.

Buddhism

There is also a display for Buddhism here, which is a religion based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, also known as Shakyamuni Buddha.

Islam

This is the display for Islam, which is based on the teachings of the prophet Muhammad ibn Abdullah.

Shinto

Here is the display for Shinto which is the oldest religion in Japan, which worships objects and forces in nature as gods.

Maya

If you thought this was Christianity, you’d be wrong. These are relics from the Maya religion in Central America. However, the Mayan religion was now mixed with Christianity and Christian symbols.

Hinduism

Here are a few artifacts displayed for Hinduism, which believes in Karma, Brahman, and Dharma.

Sikhism

This is the display for Sikhism which originated in the Punjab region of India and incorporates elements from both Hinduism and Islam.

Judaism

This is the display for Judaism, which is based on the teachings of Moses in the Torah.

Ancient Egypt

This is a display of ancient Egyptian religion which is based on ancient Egyptian mythology.

There was also a small display here from early Middle Eastern religion.

An ancient tablet on display that I cannot remember where from.

Wall of Gratitude

Here is a huge wall of hand prints to thank the donors to the museum.

Hall of Life’s Journey

On the bottom floor below the great hall is the hall of life, which features ritual clothing from many religions and focuses on birth, coming of age, mid-life and marriage, old age, death, and afterlife.

A wide view of the hall of life.

There are a lot of Taiwan aborigine artifacts down here.

Traditional wedding clothing.

Taiwanese traditional wedding clothing.

Indian wedding clothing.

More traditional coming-of-age ceremonial clothing for children.

You can read a history of Taiwan culture and customs here.

A Christian tapestry on display.

Another Christian depiction here.

A golden door that leads to somewhere off limits.

There is another water curtain and chairs on the other side at the end.

We also visited this huge cloud exhibit where you could write notes and stick them onto clouds.

I guess the clouds also represent sleep.

Another part of the building that was off limits to visitors.

Creations

There is a creation theater here plays a film exploring the central questions that religions try to answer as well as the creation of life.

Special Exhibition: Mountains, Ocean, and Sky—Nature in Me

There are special exhibitions that rotate every few months. When we visited, the exhibition was called Mountains, Ocean, and Sky—Nature in Me. We were required to take off our shoes and wear socks here.

The museum said “Bringing the immense world, encompassing mountains, oceans, and the sky, into an exhibition, we attempt to immerse humans in nature. Extending our observation of mountains beyond mere upward gazes; listening to the oceans instead of drifting with the currents, we find that the expansive sky holds more than the alternation of day and night.”

This I think was meant to mean rain or snow. If you come across this, be careful of your kids who may get caught in the strings which may be dangerous.

There were also a few swingsets and a projector with mirrors so it seemed like you were swinging on the beach.

We entered another hall of infinity mirrors.

Last view of the exhibit with rock-shaped pillows.

You can buy tickets for a discount on Klook here or KKday here.  

Check out our Taipei Museum Guide here.

​Check out our family and kids guide to Taipei here.

Also, be sure to check out our guide to Taipei here.