Cijin Tianhou Temple Introduction
Cijin Tianhou Temple, located in the bustling area of Cijin in Kaohsiung City, has been dedicated to the sea goddess Mazu for over three hundred years. According to historical records, in 1673, a fisherman from Fujian named Xu Ahua was blown off course by a typhoon and settled in Cijin. He later gathered six fellow townsmen and welcomed a spirit of Mazu from Meizhou to Taiwan, establishing the first Mazu temple in Taiwan and the oldest temple in Kaohsiung. Since then, the temple has undergone several renovations, and the current structure is based on the reconstruction completed in 1926. The architecture of the Tianhou Temple in Cijin follows the South Chinese style, featuring a layout of two halls, five doors, and two guardian rooms. The roof is designed with a swallowtail ridge, adorned with twin dragons welcoming the immortals. The temple is filled with exquisite wood carvings, stone sculptures, colored statues, and intricate paper cuttings, showcasing a rustic charm that is vivid and lively. Important painted artworks in the temple, such as the door gods, crossbeams, murals, reliefs, and flat paintings, are created by master painter Chen Yufeng, with the various exquisite crafts representing the collective wisdom of master artisans. The entire temple resembles a gem of art, deserving of thorough appreciation. Over its three-hundred-year history of incense offerings, the Tianhou Temple also possesses several important cultural relics, including the Mazu statue welcomed from Tangshan in 1673, stone carvings of General Tiger Ye, a ballast stone used for crossing the sea, and a stone incense burner; a bronze bell from 1886, as well as two stone tablets documenting the historical context of the time. The Tianhou Temple is not only a center for local faith in Kaohsiung but also a testament to the over three-hundred-year history of our ancestors' pioneering efforts in Taiwan. Amid the swirling incense, Mazu's guardianship over the people and the preservation of traditional folk arts remain constant, worthy of our sincere reflection and eternal legacy.
