Cihhe Temple Introduction
Cihou Temple, located in Yuanshan Village of Yuanli Township, is primarily dedicated to Ma Zu (Matsu), the Heavenly Mother. It was formerly known as "Mazu Outside the City" and, along with Shuntian Temple, serves as one of the two major religious centers in Yuanli. Due to factors such as transportation development and urban expansion, Cihou Temple has surpassed Shuntian Temple in both architectural scale and number of worshippers, making it the largest religious center in Yuanli. Established in the 53rd year of the Kangxi reign, Cihou Temple was originally built to the north of today's Xiaqing Road Market, and in the 37th year of the Qianlong reign (1773), it was relocated to its current site through the efforts of Huang Zairong, Huang Yinglu, Chen Zhicheng, and others. The temple primarily worships Mazu and also venerates various deities including Goddess of Childbirth, San Shan Guo Wang, Cheng Huang Ye, Guan Sheng Emperor, Jade Emperor, Xuan Tian Emperor, San Guan Da Di, Wen Chang Di Jun, Chang Sheng Da Di, Zi Wei Da Di, and Tai Sui Star Lord. Cihou Temple houses many ancient artifacts, including the "Pengshan Cihou Temple Monument," the Mazu statue, altar, Qianliyan (thousand-mile-eye), and Shunfeng'er (obedient ear), which are all preserved from the original structure. There is also an ancient stone incense burner from the 36th year of the Qianlong reign, a wooden ancient altar, and an ancient plaque "Hai Guo Biao Ling" established in the 38th year of the Qianlong reign, as well as the imperial plaque "With Heaven as One" bestowed in the 10th year of the Guangxu reign in recognition of Cihou Temple's service in assisting the Heavenly Mother.
