Jiji Wuchang Temple

In the wee hours of the morning of September 21, 1999, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake shook the center of Taiwan. The damage was severe throughout the island, and this temple was no exception. What’s special, however, is that the local people chose to preserve it exactly as it was found that morning.

The cracked cement and mangled rebar still hold the power unleashed that day. The temple now serves as a memorial and reminder that the island itself is perched on the edge of two tectonic plates in one of the most seismically active zones on Earth, the Pacific Ring of Fire.

The nearby Chelungpu Fault Preservation Park offers a rare chance to actually see the fault responsible for this damage. A local university excavated the fault after the quake, and a massive dome was built to preserve it for visitors.