Yuantong Temple is located in the mountains of Zhonghe District, New Taipei City, which foothills are crossed by Formosa Freeway. Founded by the nun Miao-ching (1900-1955 CE), the temple belongs to the Sōtō school of Mahayana Buddhism and is one of the rare all-female monasteries from earlier times in Taiwan. The Yuantong Temple complex is built along the mountain. In addition to the temple's main structure, a statue of Maitreya and the Chinese character for 'Buddha' engraved on a stone can be found along the mountainside. The architecture of the temple combines Japanese and Tang dynasty elements, as well as neo-Baroque style in detailed embellishments and column designs. Despite incorporating such a variety of forms, the overall appearance is not incongruous, which shows how much work went into blending different styles seamlessly. The quiet and peaceful surroundings of the temple complex belong to the same mountain range as the nearby Hongludi (Tudigong Temple), forming an extensive series of walking trails. New Taipei City Government designated this area as the "Yuantong Temple Hongludi Hiking Trail", listing it as part of New Taipei's series of hiking trails. In addition to meditating and honoring the teachings of Buddha, visitors can also walk along the hiking trails to enjoy the stunning view overlooking Zhonghe and Yonghe Districts, with Nangang and Xinyi Districts in the backdrop.
Yuantong Temple worships Sakyamuni Buddha, and associates Manjusri and Samantabhadra
On the right of the Daxiong Hall is the Kekileyuan, formerly known as Gongdetang. It was the first to start construction in the Yuantong Temple complex. It was originally made of bricks and was rebuilt in 1981.
The Patriarch Pagoda in the promenade is similar to an Indian tower-shaped building, integrated into the traditional Chinese pagoda style, and is currently used as a spiritual bone pagoda
The buildings of Yuantong Temple are built on the hillside, with a good view. In addition to overlooking the Shuanghe area, you can also overlook Datun Mountain and Xiaopingding.
The pilasters in the Daxiong Hall are Western-style columns, and the sculptures of the shrines are like the imitation baroque decorations popular in Japan.
There is a huge Maitreya Buddha carved on the surrounding mountain wall
The roof of the gate of Yuantong Zen Temple is double-edged and rested on the mountain, which is similar to the Mengjia Longshan Temple Hall, and the roof tiles are made of Japanese trestle tiles.
There is a Japanese-style stone lantern in front of the Daxiong Hall, and there was originally the Japanese word Showa behind the seat, but it has been smeared and dropped.
In front of the gate of Yuantong Temple, there is a sculpture of fire lions and blue elephants donated by Wu Huoshi, the former chairman of Shin Kong Life Insurance