Recommended Scenic Spots on Meizhou Island

Known as the "Pearl of the Sea", the temple stands at the northern tip of Meizhou Island, which is shaped like a slender eyebrow. It was first built in the 4th year of the Yongxi reign of the Song Dynasty (987 AD) in memory of Mazu. Mazu (960–987) was a woman of the Lin clan born on Meizhou Island. Though her life was short, she left countless touching legends of rescuing people in distress and helping the needy. Later she was enshrined as a deity, forming a folk religion.

For more than a thousand years, belief in Mazu has spread far and wide across China and overseas, with branch temples built all over the world. Hence this original temple is honored as the Ancestral Temple, the origin of all Mazu shrines. The temple has undergone expansions and renovations through successive dynasties and kept improving. In recent years, it was reconstructed with raised funds, forming a well-arranged, magnificent architectural complex.

Covering hundreds of mu, the park is surrounded by the sea, dotted with jagged rocks and green hills, boasting layers of beautiful scenery. Wandering here, visitors feel as if they are walking through an artistic labyrinth, while being immersed in profound Mazu culture. Major attractions include the giant stone statue of Mazu, the group sculptures depicting Mazu’s life stories, and the Forest of Mazu Steles.

The monumental stone statue was erected to mark the 1,000th anniversary of Mazu’s ascension to heaven. Its foundation was laid on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month in 1987, and the project was completed and inaugurated on the same date in 1991. An identical stone statue was built at Chaotian Temple in Beigang, Taiwan. The two statues on both sides of the Taiwan Strait wear imperial crowns and rosy ceremonial robes. Dignified and benevolent, they face each other across the sea, symbolizing peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

The Mazu statue enshrined here has a dark complexion and is known as the Black-Faced Mazu. This statue was consecrated from the ancestral temple on Meizhou Island in the 22nd year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty. Devout believers in Taiwan kept burning incense day and night, and the smoke gradually blackened the statue’s face over time.

As its name suggests, this cave honors benevolent love and filial piety. Filial piety ranks first among the Eight Virtues of the traditional Chinese nation, representing the purest and most sincere human sentiment — respect and devotion to one’s parents. The widely known Twenty-Four Stories of Filial Piety embodies the essence of this virtue throughout China’s 5,000-year civilization, and has been passed down among the people for generations.

To promote this traditional virtue, skilled craftsmen created a series of sculptures inside the cave depicting classic tales, such as Zilu Carrying Rice for His Parents and Huang Xiang Fanning the Pillow for His Father.

On either side of the Mazu statue stand two maid attendants holding fans: Sihua, in charge of flowers, and Sixiang, who tends incense. Along both sides of the hall are statues of gods governing wind and rainfall, as well as civil and military ministers. The side corridors enshrine eighteen divine generals who rule lakes, rivers and seas, collectively known as the Immortal Water Retinue. Kneeling before the divine throne is the ghost Gaoli, subdued by Mazu during her lifetime. Standing by the gate is the deity responsible for receiving and delivering documents for Mazu.

Hanging in the hall is a horizontal plaque inscribed Her Divine Light Shines Over the Sea, personally written by Emperor Yongzheng in 1726 (the 4th year of his reign). The emperor ordered the Fujian Naval Fleet to make three copies of this plaque, which were hung respectively at Meizhou Mazu Ancestral Temple, Grand Tianhou Temple in Tainan, Taiwan, and a branch Mazu temple in Xiamen.