Cijin Tianhou Temple Introduction
Cijin Tianhou Temple, located in the bustling area of Cijin in Kaohsiung City, has a history of over 300 years dedicated to the worship of Mazu, the sea goddess. Historical records indicate that in 1673, a fisherman from Fujian named Xu Ahua encountered a hurricane and drifted to Cijin, where he settled and invited six fellow townsmen to welcome a spirit tablet of Mazu from Meizhou to Taiwan, making it the first Mazu temple in Taiwan and the oldest temple in Kaohsiung. The temple has undergone several renovations, with the current structure based on the rebuilding in 1926. The architecture of Cijin Tianhou Temple follows the South Chinese temple style, featuring two main halls, five gates, and two protective rooms. The temple roof features a swallowtail ridge design with a decoration of two dragons surrounding the immortal. The temple is adorned with an array of wood carvings, stone carvings, colored sculptures, and cut-and-paste art, all of which exhibit a rustic charm and vivid liveliness. Important painted works in the temple, including guardian deities, beams, murals, bas-reliefs, and flat paintings, are all crafted by master painter Chen Yufeng. The exquisite craftsmanship represents the wisdom of the artisans, making the entire temple a priceless work of art worthy of careful appreciation. Over the more than three hundred years of incense offerings, Tianhou Temple houses several important cultural relics, including a Mazu statue brought from Tangshan in 1673, a stone sculpture of General Tiger Yé, ballast stones used in crossing the sea, and stone incense burners; a bronze bell from 1886, as well as two stone tablets recording the historical context of that time. Tianhou Temple serves not only as a center of faith for the local Kaohsiung community but also as a historical marker of the pioneers who crossed the sea and cultivated the land over the past three hundred years. Amidst the lingering incense, the unchanging aspect lies in Mazu's guardianship over the people and the preservation and transmission of traditional folk arts, which are worth our sincere understanding and eternal legacy.
