Taiwan Temple went to Fujian’s “Mazu’s First Palace” for exchanges

On October 22, Liu Zhongyu, the president of the Chinese Taiwan Cross-Strait Temple Culture Promotion Association, led a delegation of 23 representatives from eight Taiwanese temples and organizations to the Songshan Tianhou Palace in Xiapu County, Ningde City, Fujian Province, often referred to as the “First Pilgrimage Palace of Mazu,” for a cultural exchange event.

Upon their arrival, the delegation paid their respects at the golden statue of Mazu, offering incense and prayers for harmony between the two sides of the Strait and the well-being of the people. Liu emphasized, “Mazu is a goddess revered by people on both sides of the Strait. We hope to build a lasting connection with the Songshan Tianhou Palace through this exchange, fostering friendship and frequent visits.”

In Taiwan, there are over 3,000 Mazu temples, with devotees comprising two-thirds of the island’s population. Chen Jie, the secretary-general of the Songshan Tianhou Palace Board, noted the increasing recognition of the palace in Taiwan in recent years. “We hope that through Mazu’s culture, we can enhance exchanges and connections among the people across the Strait, bringing shared blessings and familial ties,” he stated.

The Songshan Tianhou Palace, founded in the first year of the Northern Song Dynasty’s Tian Sheng era (1023), boasts a history spanning nearly a thousand years. It is renowned as the first Tianhou palace after the Mazu ancestral temple in Putian, earning the title of “The Renowned Pilgrimage Palace of Mazu.” In 2005, it was designated a provincial cultural heritage site, and in 2021, it became an exchange base for interactions with Taiwan in Ningde City.