[2025 Shantou Attraction] Travel Guide for Mayu Island (Updated May)

Located at the mouth of Shantou Port, it covers an area of one square kilometer. There are bathing beaches and accommodation facilities on the island. Because it faces the open sea and the seawater is clean, it is a summer resort for citizens. There are two Tianhou Temples on the island, built in the Yuan Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty respectively, so it is called Mayu. The island is also called "Chicken Release Island" because in the old days, when ships passing by here, they would take a live chicken and release it in the Tianhou Temple. Over time, the island became a kingdom of chickens. In 1860, Britain set up a customs office here and carried out cruel plundering on the local area. The colonialists also concentrated here to sell labor. Many people were tortured to death before they could get on board. A large number of laborer skeletons were excavated on the island, which became ironclad evidence of the imperialist powers' invasion of my country. The highest point on the island is 41 meters above sea level, and it is the natural pier of the Bay Bridge. There is also a giant stone statue of the goddess on the mountain. Ma Yinshi: When you come to the pier, there is a dark brown stone on the sea. It is not very impressive. The locals call it Ma Yinshi. It is said to be the remains of Mazu when she turned into a god and entered the sea. Strangely enough, this Ma Yinshi always floats on the sea surface regardless of the tide and is not submerged by the sea. Old Ma Temple: Founded in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), it is one of the earlier Ma Temples on the coast of eastern Guangdong. In the 48th year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty, He Binchen, deputy general of Nan'ao, expanded it. The inscription he wrote is a historical treasure of Ma Temple and has been re-engraved and embedded in the wall. It was rebuilt in the 11th year of the Xianfeng reign, expanded in 1928, donated by Hong Kong compatriots in 1984, and rebuilt and completed on the "Ma's birthday" in 1993. The temple building is 335 square meters, magnificent and elegant, and has stone archways, a large stage, stone carvings of the God of Longevity, pavilions, stele corridors, and a three-dimensional porcelain-inlaid chicken platform. New Ma Temple: Founded in the Qing Dynasty. Legend has it that Mr. Wu, a Quanzhou native who came to Shantou to run a foreign company, asked a gentleman to select a cemetery several dozen meters away from the Lao Ma Palace. When Wu came to see the land, he suddenly saw a large incense burner. After asking around, he learned that it belonged to the Ma Palace and "flew here by itself", so he took the lead in donating money. After more than three years, a new Ma Palace was built here, which was larger than the old one. In 1983, led by the Municipal Tourism Company, Mr. Zhang Bohua, a Thai overseas Chinese from Puning, donated more than 70,000 yuan, and the company also donated about 10,000 yuan to jointly rebuild it. In the same year, Zhang Huayun wrote and Gao Yu wrote an inscription in front of the temple. The door wall retains the Qing Dynasty, which is made of more than 100 stone carvings and standard stones, and has an antique flavor. The dragon column craftsmanship is extraordinary, the inlaid porcelain is gorgeous and exquisite, and the wood carvings are ingenious. Hailongwang Temple: This is a rare temple in Fujian and Guangdong. It is located behind the Lao Ma Palace stage. It was founded in the early Qing Dynasty and repaired when the Lao Ma Palace was rebuilt in the eleventh year of Xianfeng. In 1988, Zhang Defa, the host of Singapore Beihai Temple, dreamed that the Dragon King invited him to return to his motherland to repair the temple. He first returned to his hometown Fujian to look for the temple but found nothing. Later, he heard that there was a temple on Mazu Island. He found it on the island. He led a total of 108 overseas Chinese to donate and rebuild it. It was completed on November 2, 1989. Xu Meisan (deceased), a family of inlaid porcelain, and his son, inlaid double dragons, flowers and birds, heroes and other fine products, which are shining. It is one of the representative works of contemporary Chaoshan craft treasures. The stone statue of the goddess of the ancient temple of Tianhou: The stone statue is located more than 100 meters south of the Mazu Temple, facing the sea. Mazu Temple is the main place of worship. In order to retain the homesickness of overseas Chinese and connect their hometown feelings and friendship, it was designed by Shantou Arts and Crafts School and carefully carved by Fengyuan Stone Factory in Chongwu, Hui'an County, Fujian Province. The stone statue of the Goddess of the Ancient Temple of the Queen of Heaven, made of 108 large and small stone carvings, symbolizes 108 peace doves to be released, praying for Shantou Port to be calm, the country to be peaceful, and the world to be peaceful. Putuoshan Temple in Donghai: It is located on the southeast wall of the new Mazu Temple. It was founded in the Jiawu year of Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty (1774). The existing back wall of the main hall has a tent to enshrine Buddha statues for believers to worship. The government religious department has approved the reconstruction and is raising funds. There are two important cultural relics in the temple. One is the temple plaque of "Putuo Mountain in the East China Sea", with small characters on the top and bottom, "Written by Yao Gaojing, the commander of the right camp of Nan'ao Town, Guangdong", and "Established on the second day of the second month of the 39th year of Qianlong (1775)"; the other is the stele of "Zhengrui and Gong Lianwei, the founder of three temples", which records that Master Zhengrui co-founded three temples (one of which is Donghai Puyuan Mountain Temple), rebuilt five temples, built more than 50 miles of roads, and repaired more than 70 bridges, which can be called a great virtue. Customs: This is the new customs of Chaozhou, managed by the Chinese, also known as "Changguan", which is two bungalows on Yingzi Mountain. In the third year of Emperor Xianfeng's reign (1853), the trade between Chaozhou and Hong Kong increased sharply. Guangdong Customs set up a customs office on Mayu Island and built two bungalows of 150 square meters each (municipal cultural relics protection units). Since a customs office had been set up in Anbu before, Mayu Island was called "Chaozhou New Customs". It moved to Shantou City in the second year of Emperor Tongzhi's reign (1863) and was taken over by Chaozhou Customs in 1901. Seven years later, Chaozhou Customs was set up in the south of the island near the sea, which was managed by foreigners, so it was also called "foreign customs". A two-story western-style building was built for the foreign chief tax commissioner and others to live in (demolished in 2002), and another two-story large western-style building was built nearby for customs officers to live in (commonly known as "water diversion building", which was demolished in 1991 because it was a dangerous building). Natural beach: The beach is located in the southeast, overlooking Nan'ao Island and Luyu Island. It is a 100-meter-long crescent-shaped bay. The beach is flat and white, and the sea water is clear and green. It is a bathing pool. The two mountains, Feng and Luan, on both sides are full of strange rocks in various shapes. In the middle of the beach, there is a small stone peak with cracks like petals, so it is called "Peony Peak". Together with the mountains on the left and right, it forms a beautiful scene of "Phoenix facing Peony".The trees form a belt, which can be used by swimmers to escape the heat. The washing room, dining room and restaurant provide various conveniences for swimmers. The stone carvings on the sea-eroded shore of the bathing beach are inscribed with poems praising Mazu by Lai Shaoqi, "Strange Peaks of the South Island" by Zeng Ming, and "Listening to the Waves" by Chen Dayu, which add color to the island. In addition, there are Shuangzhong Temple, Bogong Temple, Friendship Pavilion, Sea Viewing Pavilion, Zuichao Tower, and the nearby Luyu Lighthouse and other ancient sites and new sights on the island, which are dazzling and beautiful. Nowadays, the transportation is convenient. You can park at the west side pier under the Bay Bridge and take a boat about 1 kilometer away to reach the island. It has become a hot spot for Chaoshan tourism.