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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.
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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.
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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.
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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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