Mazu Temple

Mazu Temple

Mazu temple, or "Meizhou Mazu Temple", is located in Meizhou Island, Putian City, Fujian Province. It was built in the fourth year of Yongxi reign of the Northern Song Dynasty (987). It is the origin of Mazu culture.

Mazu temple in Meizhou is the first Mazu temple in the world. Most of the existing buildings are of Qing Dynasty structure. The former Hall of Mazu temple complex is arranged along the central axis and built according to the mountain. It forms a main temple road with a depth of 300 meters and a height difference of more than 40 meters. From the mountain gate, the Yi gate to the main hall, there are 323 steps connecting the two sides of the buildings. At the top of the ancestral temple, there is a huge stone statue of Mazu 14 meters high.

On May 25, 2006, Mazu temple was announced as the Sixth Batch of national key cultural relics protection units by the State Council of the people's Republic of China.

Historical evolution

Mazu temple in Meizhou was built in 987, the fourth year of Yongxi reign in the Northern Song Dynasty.

In 1274, Quanzhou Wei commanded Zhou Zuo to rebuild Mazu temple. From the first year of Yongle (1403) to the sixth year of Xuande (1431), Zheng He sent officials to build the main hall.

In 1683, when Yao Qisheng, governor of Fujian and Zhejiang provinces, was blessed by Mazu and extended the ancestral temple, he rebuilt the Chaotian Pavilion and changed it into the main hall, which is a beam lifting structure with double eaves resting on the top of the mountain, three rooms wide on the surface and three rooms deep. In 1684, Shi Lang rebuilt it.

During the Republic of China, it was rebuilt again.

During the "Cultural Revolution", Mazu temple was seriously damaged.

Since the 1980s, Mazu temples have been rebuilt one after another. With the increasing number of Taiwan Mazu believers going to the temples to offer incense, Mazu believers on both sides of the Taiwan Strait have made concerted efforts to donate money and materials for large-scale restoration and construction.

Architectural pattern

Mazu temple in Meizhou consists of two major architectural complexes: the West axis and the south axis. There are 36 large and small buildings along the West axis, such as memorial archway, corridor, Mountain Gate, imperial edict gate, bell and Drum Tower, main hall, bedroom hall, Chaotian Pavilion, Shengtian tower, Buddha Hall, Guanyin hall, Wudi temple, Zhongjun hall, as well as Aixiang Pavilion, Longfeng Pavilion, Xiangke villa and homesick villa. The south axis building complex consists of large-scale buildings, such as bedroom hall, Chifeng Tianhou palace, veranda room, Xian hall, bell and Drum Tower, Mountain Gate, memorial archway, Tianhou square, and Tianhou stage. The whole ancestral temples are crisscrossed.

Cultural relics

The main buildings of Mazu temple in Meizhou are the dormitory, main hall and holy parents' ancestral hall, which are the main carriers of Mazu belief in the ancestral temple. Meizhou ancestral temple is a 323 meter long and 99 meter wide five Jin imitative Song Dynasty complex, which is composed of archway, palace gate, bell and Drum Tower, Shunji hall, Tianhou square, main hall, lingci hall and Mazu Cultural Park. It has a single eaves at the top of the mountain, three rooms wide and two rooms deep. The forehead is preserved with ink calligraphy from the early Republic of China, and some stone pillars and plinths from the Ming and Qing Dynasties are still used. Among them, the ancestral hall of holy parents was built in the Southern Song Dynasty, rebuilt in the Ming Dynasty, and rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty. The main hall is suspended on the top of the mountain, with three wide faces and one deep entrance. It preserves the courtyard of the Song Dynasty. On the rocks behind the Mazu temple, there are stone carvings such as "historical site of ascending heaven" and "Guanlan". On the top of the temple, there is a huge stone statue of Mazu, which is 14 meters high. It is made of 365 pieces of granite. The stone statue of Mazu wears a Mian Diao, wears a Xiahe and holds a jade Ruyi. It is graceful and solemn.

Research value

Mazu is in Meizhou. For thousands of years, Mazu culture has spread with the continuous spread of fishermen, boatman and merchants in 38 countries and regions around the world, with nearly 300 million believers around the world. Mazu temple in Meizhou is the birthplace of Mazu culture, a pilgrimage center for Mazu believers all over the world, and a bridge and link for people to people exchanges across the Taiwan Strait.

Mazu belief is very popular in southeast coastal areas of China, and tens of millions of people in Taiwan believe in Mazu. With the increasing cross-strait exchanges, a large number of Taiwan people visit Mazu temple on Meizhou Island. Meizhou Island receives more than 100000 Taiwan compatriots every year, and by the end of 2008, it has received more than 1.6 million Taiwan compatriots. Mazu culture has increasingly played an irreplaceable role in cross-strait exchanges and has become a spiritual link between the people on both sides of the Strait.

History and culture

summary

Mazu, as the most influential maritime patron saint in China, is the core of Mazu's popular culture, including rituals, oral legends and other cultural arts as well as folk customs, all over the Taiwan Strait and even all over the world. In 1123, Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty granted "Shunji" temple title. This is the first time Mazu was awarded the title by the imperial court. It has experienced 36 times in song, yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. In 1875, the title of Mazu was 64 characters. Mazu belief custom is a kind of folk belief custom which comes from people's admiration for Mazu. Mazu's belief and custom has certain forms and has been handed down from generation to generation. It is a folk culture with the core of worshiping and praising Mazu's spirit of morality, charity and great love, with Mazu temple as the main activity place and temple fairs, customs and legends as the manifestation.

Mazu's life experience

Mazu, formerly known as Lin Mo, was born on March 23 of the lunar calendar in the first year of Jianlong (960) of the Northern Song Dynasty, and died on September 9 in the fourth year of Yongxi (987). Lin Mo was born until the full moon and never cried, so he was named "Mo" and nicknamed "Mo Niang". It is said that Lin Mo Niang was brave and intelligent when she was young, and she was filial to her parents. At the age of 8, he studied as a teacher, and understood the meaning through reading. When he was 10 years old, he chanted Buddhist scriptures with his mother Wang. When he was 13 years old, he was instructed by an old Taoist and was given the "mysterious and subtle secret method" to know all kinds of important scriptures. At the age of 15, he can cure people's diseases and help the poor. When she was 16 years old, she took care of her makeup and got a pair of bronze talismans, which made her more capable. Born in a coastal patrol home, she is familiar with the nature of water. She can sail ships, pull cables, cruise between islands, and often rescue ships in distress in the wind and waves. She also practiced medicine and worked hard for Li Zhong Wu, which laid the foundation for her to become the protector of the sea.

protective measures

On September 30, 2009, Mazu belief and custom, with Mazu temple as an important material carrier, was successfully listed in the list of representative works of human intangible cultural heritage, becoming China's first belief and custom world heritage.

In 2010, Fujian Provincial People's Government approved the establishment of Meizhou Mazu cultural and ecological protection Experimental Zone on Meizhou Island where Mazu temple is located, which is the first provincial cultural and ecological protection zone approved by Fujian Province, marking that Mazu culture will be further promoted and protected in Meizhou Island, the "hometown of Mazu".

On May 25, 2006, Mazu temple was announced as the Sixth Batch of national key cultural relics protection units by the State Council of the people's Republic of China.

Tourism information

geographical position

Mazu temple is located in Meizhou Island, Xiuyu District, Putian City, Fujian Province.

Opening Hours

All day: from Monday to Sunday, tickets need on-site consultation or online booking.

traffic

Take the passenger dedicated line from Putian bus station to (Wenjia wharf), and then take a boat at Wenjia wharf to Meizhou Island.

Address: Jiangcheng District, Yangjiang City, Guangdong Province

Longitude: 111.863759

Latitude: 21.564345

Ticket information: Free

Opening hours: all day

Chinese PinYin : Ma Zu Miao