Luerhmen Tianhou Temple Introduction
Luerhmen Prosperous Dream, Culture Season Continues with Enthusiasm. Originally, Luerhmen referred to a waterway and was a major shipping route in Taiwan, known as "Heavenly Danger" in ancient times. It was a crucial battleground and the main import-export hub for "salt, sugar, textiles, and goods" in Taiwan, with the deity Mazu ensuring smooth voyages. However, after several natural disasters, the Tainan Inland Sea transformed into muddy land, leading to the decline of the port's functionality, and the settlement degraded into a small fishing village, causing even the Mazu Temple to collapse. After the founding of the Republic of China, Taiwan's economy revived, leading to the reconstruction of the area into its current form. The Mazu statue enshrined in the Luerhmen Mazu Temple is intricately carved from precious "Xuanzhi wood" from the mainland. The temple's impressive architecture showcases the beauty of Chinese temples, including the dragon columns, door gods, dougong brackets, cut tile art on the roof ridge, Caozhi pottery, temple wall carvings, caisson, corridors, and courtyards, all of which are worth a detailed visit. Every year from December to March in the lunar calendar, the Luerhmen Mazu Temple holds a Culture Season featuring a rich and distinctive program divided into nine major sections: cultural rituals, religious beliefs, ancient fishing village customs, rural nostalgia, tracing the origins of Tainan, public opinion plaza, passing down traditions, cultural camps, and publishing cultural materials. These cultural activities combine folk art, humanistic religion, and natural ecology, running for four months and featuring over 70 dynamic and static performances each year, supported by the Temple Management Committee, immersing people in historical and local sentiments, revitalizing long-stored passion, and enriching their inner lives and spirits. (Source: Luerhmen Mazu Temple website)
