Honoring China's foremost sage, Taipei's grand Confucius Temple is a center of learning visited by students hoping to ensure success in their exams. Small plaques (NT$40) are bought and inscribed with a wishlist. (It seems to work, but then the Taiwanese do study hard.) The Shidian Ceremony, the world's largest Confucian event, is held here on the great sage's birthday, September 28. Nearby Bao'an Temple, dedicated to the Taoist God of Medicine, is worth visiting for its finely preserved Taiwanese temple architecture, including wonderfully ornate roof statuary.