Meizhou Mazu Temple
Meizhou Mazu Temple

Location: relevant scenic spots to the northeast of Gongxia Village in the north of Meizhou Island: West Axis Building complex, South Axis Building complex, Mazu Stele Forest, Mazu Cultural Park, wooden Plank Road and other Meizhou Mazu temples, commonly known as ancestral temples, which mainly offer sacrifices to Tian Hou Mazu. Located in Gongxia Village in the north of Meizhou Island, it is the first Mazu temple in the world. It has the supreme position and influence in the world Mazu cultural phenomenon, and it is also the oldest Matsu temple. According to Putian County Chronicles, in the same year that Lin Mo feathered and ascended to heaven, Yi people set up a temple of virtuous women on Meizhou Island, the predecessor of the ancestral temple. As of March 2024, there are nearly 10,000 ancestral temples in 50 countries and regions around the world, which have been listed as national cultural relics key protection units and national civilization units. The western axis of Meizhou Mazu Temple is composed of the Great Archway, the Mountain Gate, the Holy will Gate, the Holy parents' Temple, the Bell and Drum Tower, the Prince Hall, the Tien Hou Palace, the Chaotian Pavilion, and the Shengtian Tower, which is the main carrier of Mazu belief in the ancestral temple. every year, millions of devout believers set foot on this sacred place to pay homage to their ancestors. The newly built temple complex on the southern axis is a five-style imitation of the Song Dynasty, which is composed of the Great Archway, the Mountain Gate, the Bell and Drum Tower, the Tin Hou Hall, the Lingci Hall, the Shunji Hall, and the Mazu Culture Exhibition Hall. Among them, the Tien Hou Hall is 19 meters high, 50 meters wide, 30 meters deep and covers an area of 987 meters. It can hold thousands of people to worship at the same time, offering the 8-meter-high statue of Mazu, accompanied by Chen Jinggu, the goddess for the protection of women and children, Qian Si Niang, a female hero who built Mulanpi, a famous water conservancy project in the Song Dynasty, and navigator Zheng he, and General Shi Lang, who recaptured Taiwan. The Tin Hau Square in front of the hall covers an area of more than 10000 square meters. It is the place for grand activities in the ancestral temple. There is also a large stage with a height of 26.5m. The viewing platform and corridors on both sides can hold 10,000 spectators. The mountain gate archway with a height of 19 meters and a width of 33 meters is one of the rare majestic archways in China. The 14.35-meter-high stone statue of Mazu at the top of the ancestral temple has become a landmark of Meizhou Island. The newly built wooden plank road behind the ancestral temple is praised by pilgrims and tourists for its unique viewing perspective. Mazu's surname is Lin Mo, also known as Silent Niang. Song Taizu Jianlong's first year (AD 960) was born on March 23 of the lunar calendar in what is now Shihou Xiang Shanglin Natural Village, Dongcai Village, Meizhou Island, Fujian Putian. She is willing to help others all her life, studying medicine, being familiar with hydrology and meteorology, taking fraternity as her bosom, helping the crisis and helping the poor. In the fourth year of Song Yongxi (987 AD), on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, Mazu died because of a sea disaster. The villagers were grateful for his kindness and built a temple for him at the highest point of his hometown, Meifeng. According to historical records, it is the "Tongxian Goddess" temple that "only falls in the rafters". This is the first Matsu temple in the world, so it is called "ancestral temple". Because of the remarkable signs of Mazu and the increasing number of believers, the belief in Mazu spread from the folk to the government court and was recognized by scholars, farmers, industry and commerce. The ancestral temple was continuously "expanded" by Mazu believers such as merchants Sanbao. By the reign of Tiansheng in the Song Dynasty (1023-1032), the "promenade benefit increased towering" and had begun to take shape. In the Yuan Dynasty, the ancestral temple was further expanded, and the temple was "magnificent" and "the pavilion was wanton". During the Ming Dynasty, the Mazu Temple expanded even more. In the seventh year of Hongwu (AD 1274), Zhou Zi, commander of Quanzhou Wei, presided over the reconstruction of dormitory hall, incense pavilion, drum tower and mountain gate. In the early years of Yongle (AD 1403), when Zheng he was on a voyage to the West, due to the protection of Mazu, he sent officials to renovate the temple. In the sixth year of Xuande (AD 1431), before Zheng he's last voyage to the West, he personally prepared wood and stone with local officials to repair the ancestral temple again, so that "Meizhou scenery is better than Penglai". In the Qing Dynasty, in the 22nd year of Emperor Kangxi (1683 AD), Fujian Governor Yao Qisheng rebuilt the Bell and Drum Tower and the Mountain Gate. In 1684, Shi Lang of Jinghai Hou built more dressing towers, Chaotian Pavilion, Buddhist temples and monasteries. Then the ancestral temple built Guanyin Hall, Zhongjun Hall, Land Temple and so on. After Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty, the Mazu Temple in Meizhou has become quite large-scale, with 16 halls, pavilions and 99 guest houses. The whole building complex is built according to the mountain, carved beams and paintings, majestic and magnificent, and is known as the "Dragon Palace on the Sea". The Matsu Temple complex unfolded in front of us today has been rebuilt since the 1980s, according to the principle of "still repairing the old." Matsu believers on both sides of the Taiwan Strait have made concerted efforts to donate materials and funds for reconstruction. By 1994, the west axis of Zumiao had been completed. Construction of the southern axis began in 1998 and was completed in 2002. Today, the Mazu Temple in Meizhou, with an unprecedented majestic figure, stands on the shore of the Taiwan Strait, not only showing brilliance, but also more magnificent. In October 1992, Meizhou Island was rated as a national tourist resort. In May 2006, the "Mazu ceremony" of Mazu Temple and ancestral Temple was listed by the State Council as the sixth batch of national key cultural relics protection units and the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage.