Queen of heaven palace in xipi

Xipi Tianhou palace is a national key cultural relics protection unit. It is located in xipi village, Gaopi Town, Yongding County. It is a rare pagoda palace in China. It was built in the reign of Chongzhen of Ming Dynasty (1628-1644), facing north from south. The main body is the Tianhou palace pagoda, which has 7 floors and is more than 40 meters high. The base of the pagoda is made of natural stones. The bottom floor is the main hall, with four big round wooden columns in the middle leading to the top floor to support the center of gravity of the tower; the top floor is the gourd top, which is made of porcelain cylinder; the cornice of the top floor has dozens of copper bells. There is a wooden permanent stage at the entrance of the gate, which is very elegant, semi-circular dome shaped, inlaid with three-dimensional patterns, with ingenious structure and good sound gathering function. It is commonly known as "Lei Gong Peng". The murals, sculptures, stone carvings and models of the Queen's palace in xipi are very vivid, ranging from landscapes, flowers, birds and animals to myths, legends and allusions.

Queen of heaven palace in xipi

Xipo Tianhou palace is located in Xipo village, Gaopi Town, Yongding City, Fujian Province. It was first built in the 21st year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty (1542) and completed in the first year of Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty (1662). Brick and wood structure, south facing north, covering an area of 6435 square meters.

Introduction to scenic spots

Xipi Tianhou palace is composed of gate, stage, Dabao hall and Dengyun hall. The main building is the Tianhou palace tower, which is more than 40 meters high and has 7 floors. The base of the tower is dry built with natural stones. The base wall is 1.1 meters thick. The bottom floor is the main hall, which is 6.5 meters high, 14.4 meters long and 12 meters wide. There are four big round wooden columns in the middle, supporting the center of gravity of the tower. The main hall is dedicated to empress dowager (Mazu). 2、 The third floor is surrounded by a corridor. The fourth and fifth floors are made of brick and wood structure, which is transformed from square to octagonal. The middle of the sixth and seventh floors is made of large round wooden columns, with wooden boards as walls, and the top layer is made of gourd top, which is made of famous porcelain cylinder. Tower towering, the top cornice with dozens of copper bells, the wind blowing bell ring, sonorous. There are 36 tower protection rooms under the tower. In front of the tower is the hall. Behind the tower are the hall and patio of Dengyun Pavilion. At the entrance of the gate is a permanent stage, which is in the shape of a semicircle three-dimensional hole. The structure is wonderful. Every year the virgin's birthday is prayed and performed here, which is very lively.

On May 25, 2006, as an ancient building from Ming Dynasty to Qing Dynasty, xipi Tianhou palace was approved by the State Council to be listed in the Sixth Batch of national key cultural relics protection units.

geographical position

Xipo Tianhou palace is located in Xipo village, Gaopo Township, Yongding County, Fujian Province. The village has a population of more than 4000 people, most of whom are surnamed Lin. they are descendants of Min Lin's ancestor, the goddess of the sea (Mazu). The villagers pray for Mazu's blessing because they want to cross the ocean and go abroad to make a living. Therefore, this queen of heaven palace is divided by Meizhou ancestral temple in Putian, which reflects the desire of sea people to worship Mazu, the God of the sea.

Architectural features

The temple of Empress Dowager in xipi, with a peculiar shape, is a unique tower building rarely seen in China, commonly known as "Wenta". It was built on the banks of Yongding River, a small bridge with beautiful mountains and rivers, flowing water, green trees and other people. It was first built in 1542, the 21st year of Jiajing reign of Ming Dynasty, and was completed in 1660, the 17th year of Shunzhi reign of Qing Dynasty. It covers an area of 6400 square meters, with a construction area of 1600 square meters. The main building is a 7-storey tower structure with a height of more than 40 meters, which is of pavilion type. 1、 The second and third floors are square, civil structure; more than four floors are octagonal, and the fourth and fifth floors are brick and wood structure; the sixth and seventh floors are made of big round Chinese fir as the axis, dozens of square wood strips radiate to the eight directions, adult wheel shape, and pure wood structure. The gourd on the top of the tower is made of round jars specially made by Jingdezhen, the capital of porcelain. The gourd is yellow, blue, white and green, and is tied with 8 mm thick iron rope.

On the ground floor is the main hall of Tianhou palace, 12 meters long, 14.4 meters wide, 6.5 meters high (5.3 meters high inside), and the wall is 1 meter thick. In the middle of the hall, four big pillars of Chinese fir stand up to the top of the tower, supporting the center of the tower. The central axis is from south to north, with 36 houses. The south of the tower is Dengyun hall, the north of the tower is the hall, and the two sides are upper and lower restaurants. The main hall is dedicated to the statue of Mazu, and a plaque of "shenzhaohaibiao" is hung on the shrine (the original plaque is Yongzheng Yushu, with a jade seal in it, but this plaque is not available today). The couplet at the main hall gate is a couplet bestowed by Emperor Qianlong: "loyal and trustworthy, involved in the waves, experienced Yuzhou Yao island; God Zhaori moon, command Shuibo tianwu". The north and south of the tower each have a large patio, and the palace gate at the north end is decorated with painted beams and carved buildings. There is a saying in the painted poem at the gate that "Weishen shows his holiness to Jisi palace and makes great contributions in the world". There is a wooden permanent stage at the entrance of the gate, which is very elegant, semi-circular dome shaped, inlaid with three-dimensional patterns, with ingenious structure and good sound gathering function. It is commonly known as "Lei Gong Peng". The column couplets at the entrance of the stage are as follows: "the first group is the Xihe River, and the murmur is mixed with orchestral music; the seventh floor faces the Beidou, and the overlapping shadows follow the Wenwu class" (Note: the second to fifth floors of the Tianhou palace in xipi are dedicated to emperor Guan, Emperor Wenchang, Kuixing and Cangjie respectively). The banner is "Luan Fenghe Ming", and the banner in the middle hall of the stage is "Jun Tianya playing". On both sides of the stage are the actor's dressing room and accommodation, spacious and comfortable.

Artistic achievements

The architectural structure and artistic achievements of xipi Tianhou Palace are rare in China. Its frescoes, sculptures, stone carvings and shapes, from landscape scenery, flowers, birds and animals to myths and legends, characters and allusions, are all lifelike and can be called a unique. It not only provides us with the real trace of studying Mazu culture, but also has high research value in architecture. Teachers and students from the Department of ancient architecture of Tsinghua University and the Department of architecture of Nanjing Institute of technology come here to visit, draw, photograph, study and discuss their exquisite architectural art. At the same time, the colorful pictures of ladies on the screen of the stage, simple and elegant, and the regulation of the stage are rare important material materials for the study of the history of traditional Chinese opera.

In the period of the agrarian revolution, Xipo Tianhou palace was once the assembly site of the armed uprising of the peasants in Taiping District and the site of the red political power in the district and township. It has been listed as a key cultural relic protection unit in the local area. After many repairs, it is beautiful and fragrant.

Address: xipi village, Gaopi Town, Yongding County, Fujian Province

Longitude: 116.85569576686

Latitude: 24.967589630964

Chinese PinYin : Xi Bei Tian Hou Gong