Cihe Temple Introduction
Ci He Temple is located in the North Yuanli Village of this town, primarily dedicated to the Heavenly Mother. Formerly known as the Mazu outside the city, it, along with Shun Tian Temple, serves as one of the two major religious centers in Yuanli. Due to transportation development and urban growth factors, Ci He Temple has surpassed Shun Tian Temple in both architectural scale and number of worshippers, making it the largest religious center in Yuanli. Ci He Temple was established in the 53rd year of the Kangxi reign, located north of today's Xialu Market. In the 37th year of the Qianlong reign (1773), it was initiated by Huang Zairong, Huang Yinglu, Chen Zhicheng, and others, and relocated to its current site. The temple primarily worships Mazu and also honors various deities including the Goddess of Birth, the Kings of the Three Mountains, City God, Guan Sheng Emperor, Jade Emperor, Xuan Tian Emperor, Three Pass Kings, Wenchang Di Jun, Changsheng Emperor, Zi Wei Emperor, and the Great Year Star Lord. Ci He Temple houses numerous ancient relics, including the "Pengshan Ci He Temple Stele," the Mazu deity statue on the altar, the Thousand-Mile Eye, and the Shunfeng Ear, which are all original. Additionally, it possesses a stone-carved ancient incense burner from the 36th year of the Qianlong reign and a wooden ancient altar. An ancient plaque titled "Hai Guo Biao Ling" was established in the 38th year of the Qianlong reign, and in the 10th year of the Guangxu reign, an imperial plaque was granted to Ci He Temple for its contributions in assisting the Heavenly Mother, titled "With Heaven in Harmony."
