This Leaning Temple Is Taiwan’s Version of the Tower of Pisa

(Source: odditycentral)

Taiwan’s Chiayi County is home to a temple so slanted that it has been dubbed Taiwan’s version of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

In August of 2009, Taiwan was ravaged by Typhoon Morakot, the deadliest typhoon to hit the island in its recorded history. It produced copious amounts of rainfall that resulted in enormous mudflows and severe flooding throughout Taiwan. The typhoon caused enormous damage and hundreds of human fatalities, but it also produced one of Taiwan’s most unusual tourist attractions – The Taihe Zhenxing Palace (振興宮舊址), a place of worship tilted at about 45 degrees.
 


Up until 2009, the colorful temple of Taihe Village stood straight, but the landslides that occurred here during the massive storm caused it to slide downhill about 100 meters. The structure miraculously survived, but it remained slanted.
 


The Taihe Zhenxing Palace is off the beaten track, but it has been seeing an increase in tourists lately, thanks to social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok. It’s basically the perfect place to recreate Michael Jackson’s iconic gravity-defying lean without any effort. All you have to do is tilt the phone so it shows the temple straight and you leaning forward.
 


Earlier this year, after photos and videos shot there went viral online, the Taihe Zhenxing Palace was even featured on national television and dubbed Taiwan’s version of the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy.
 

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