Mazu City God Temple Introduction
Did you know that in the past, temples in Penghu were classified as "public temples" and "private temples"? The "public temple" is also known as "He Peng" (pronounced as "Ghai Peng" in Taiwanese), and the Penghu Tianhou Temple, Magong Chenghuang Temple, and Penghu Guanyin Pavilion are referred to as the "Three Great Ancient Temples of He Peng" due to their popularity. Each year during the Ghost Festival in the lunar calendar, the ceremonies begin at the Chenghuang Temple, and other temples proceed afterward, making Magong Chenghuang Temple the starting point for the Penghu celebrations. There is a popular saying: "Chenghuang Temple starts, Guanyin Pavilion ends." However, it is quite unique in Taiwan that there are both Wenao and Magong Chenghuang Temples; this is due to the smaller scale of Wenao Chenghuang Temple. Qing Dynasty officials felt it did not show enough respect to the deities, so in 1779, they built the Magong Chenghuang Temple that you see today. Since then, this place has undergone several renovations to reach its current scale.
