Tianhou Temple

Tianhou Temple is dedicated to the worship of Mazu, the sea goddess of Quanzhou, and is a major center for the dissemination of Mazu belief around the world. The temple bears witness to the formation and development of Mazu belief amidst maritime trade. Together with Zhenwu Temple, Jiuri Mountain Wind-Praying Inscriptions, etc., it reveals how folk beliefs and the will of the state work in concert to advance maritime trade. Closely associated with Quanzhou’s merchants, the temple bears testimony to the development of the commercial district in the south of Quanzhou with the influence of maritime trade. The temple is located in the southern end of the ancient city of Quanzhou, facing the Jinjiang River and the coastal ports to the south. Tianhou Temple was first built in 1196, originally known as Shunji Temple. As both government bureaucrats and regular citizens in the successive dynasties held Mazu in high reverence, the temple underwent repairs and was well maintained. Its layout with a hall at the front and sleeping quarters at the rear, which was already in place before the 16th century, has been preserved to this day. The extant building complex faces southward, featuring an axially symmetric courtyard layout as a whole. On the central axis stand, from south to north, the main gate, the theatrical stage, the worship courtyard, Tianhou Hall, the Bedchamber Hall and the Grooming Building, with ancillary structures such as the east and west wing rooms, side rooms and pavilions on both sides enclosing the courtyard. The temple occupies an area of roughly 6,800 square meters. Tianhou Temple was included into the third group of major cultural heritage sites protected at the national level by the State Council in January, 1988.