<《Lukang Tianhou Temple, the only temple in Taiwan》

The statue of Mazu enshrined here was brought to Taiwan from the Tianhou Temple in Meizhou, Putian by Shi Lang, a native of Quanzhou, Fujian in 1683 (the 22nd year of the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty). It is the only statue of Mazu from Meizhou in the province and is commonly known as the ancestral god or ancestral temple. Because the statue has been smoked by cigarettes for a long time and has turned black, believers call it the Black-Faced Goddess. Entering the temple, there are mountain gates, dragon pillars, stone walls and stone lintels, all of which are exquisitely carved with historical stories as themes and are artistic sculptures handed down from generation to generation. It also contains rich historical materials and cultural relics, which are extremely precious. Since Kangxi, every emperor has issued a plaque with his own hand or repaired or expanded the temple, making it increasingly grand in scale. Repairs continued until the Showa period of Japanese colonial rule. To this day, the temple is popular with worshippers every day and has become a major pilgrimage center in Taiwan. It has also boosted the economic development of Lukang and is considered the best Mazu temple in Taiwan. 🙏🙏🙏