Lugang Tin Hau Palace

The former Tianfei temple in Lukang is the belief center of Lukang area. It is the earliest and only Mazu temple in Taiwan. The ancient Mazu (Kaiji Er Ma) on Meizhou Island was brought by general Shi Lang, the governor of Fujian Navy in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties. It is also the first Kaiji Mazu Temple in Taiwan, and one of the famous temples with a long history in Taiwan 1、 It has been nearly 400 years.

Lugang Tin Hau Palace

The Empress Dowager's palace in Lukang was officially established in 1784. There were many merchants and ships between Lukang and Quanzhou. It was a trade port in Central Taiwan at that time. The establishment of Bajiao showed the prosperity of Commerce in Lukang during the Jiaqing period. Because the old ancestral palace is the Hegang temple in Lukang, it is called "Tianhou Palace" in Lukang.

brief introduction

Located in Lukang Town, Changhua County, Taiwan Province, the Empress Dowager's palace in Lukang is the top of more than 400 Mazu temples in Taiwan. In 1685 (the 24th year of the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty), Shilang, a native of Quanzhou, welcomed the Empress Dowager palace from Meizhou, Putian, Fujian Province. It is also the only statue of Mazu from Putian in Taiwan.

The temple was rebuilt in 1936, and the craftsmanship of the construction is very good. Therefore, the temple is magnificent and magnificent. It is called "four Mazu" together with the datianhou palace in Tainan, Chaotian Palace in Beigang and Fengtian palace in Xingang. On the square in front of the temple, there is a huge memorial archway with a mountain gate, dragon pillars, stone walls and lintels inside. It is exquisitely depicted, with historical stories as the background. It is a rare art sculpture. Tianhou palace is divided into two parts: front and back, both of which are dedicated to the statue of Mazu. There are two horizontal plaques with jade seals, one inscribed with "You Ji Zhao Ling", "Shen Zhao Hai Biao" and the other inscribed with "tonggong with heaven" by Guangxu. In addition to the statue of Mazu, there are also wooden statues of Qianliyan and shunfenger, which are made by famous craftsmen in the mainland. On the left and right sides of the temple are the Dragon Tower and the Phoenix que, which are respectively the dressing house and the heaven rising Pavilion. When you climb on them, you can have a panoramic view of the ancient town.

The Empress Dowager's palace in Lukang has a very high status among the Mazu temples in Taiwan. Because the statue of Mazu worshiped in the temple was welcomed to Taiwan in 1683 (the 22nd year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty) by Shi Lang, the commander of Fujian Navy, from Tianhou palace in Meizhou, Putian. It is the only one from Meizhou in the whole province, and is called zushen. The Empress Dowager's palace in Lukang is also known as the ancestral temple. Due to the flourishing incense, the statue has long been influenced by cigarette smoke. It turns from pink to black, and is called "black face mother" by believers. On March 23 of the lunar calendar, on the birthday of Mazu, more than 70 statues of Mazu temple with incense from Tianhou palace in Lukang come to visit the temple. At that time, there will be a sea of people and a grand occasion.

history

The creation of the Empress Dowager's Palace (also known as the old ancestral palace or Notre Dame's Palace) in Lugang began in the early Qing Dynasty. The original temple is located in the north of the current site, near the ancient place name "chuanzitou" (now in the three lanes of Beitou). However, in the early days of Taiwan's reclamation, as long as there were Minnan people, most of the places had ancestral temples to worship Ma Heng. According to the inscription on the restoration of the Notre Dame palace in Luxi in 1816, it is known that Notre Dame It has been more than 100 years since Gu was founded. " This inscription indicates that the founding date of the Empress Dowager palace in Lugang should be before the 55th year of Kangxi (1716).

During the reign of Emperor Kangxi, the number of immigrants from Central Taiwan was increasing, and the Mazu temple in Lukang was too small because of the more devout belief in Mazu, which protected the safety of navigation. In the third year of Yongzheng reign, the Mazu temple was moved from Shi Shibang's site to its present site. In order to express gratitude for Shi Shibang's good deeds, local people worshipped Shi Shibang's throne of longevity in the right corridor of Tianhou palace.

The Empress Dowager's palace in Lugang was called "the Virgin Mary's Palace" during the Jiaqing period. In 1787, fukang'an, a bachelor, built Mazu temple in Longgang, Lugang. This temple was built by Emperor Qianlong. It was a temple worshipped by the Qing government. In order to distinguish the two Mazu temples, Lugang Notre Dame palace is called "old ancestral Palace" by Lugang, while the official Mazu temple is called "new ancestral Palace".

In 1814, the old ancestral temple collapsed, the rafters and walls of the house fell off, and the local gentry and shipowners in the eight suburbs of the spring and the mansion responded one after another, donating money to rebuild it. The old ancestral palace was started in the autumn of the 19th year of Jiaqing (September of the lunar calendar) and completed in the spring of the 20th year of Jiaqing (March of the lunar calendar). After more than July, the old ancestral palace was rebuilt. After the reconstruction, the appearance of the old ancestral Palace is fresh and fresh, the holy image is bright and radiant.

In the 21st year of Jiaqing, the local gentry engraved the whole process of the reconstruction with "the inscription of rebuilding the Notre Dame palace in Luxi". This inscription records the names of the eight suburbs of Lukang, which are Quanjiao, Xiajiao, Nanjiao, Youjiao, bujiao, ranjiao, Tangjiao and Jiaojiao (assorted merchants). It is the earliest historical data of the names of the eight suburbs in the current literature.

In 1869, the temple began to collapse again, and the walls were peeling off. Sun Shouming, the Tongzhi of Lugang, and Cai Defang, the whole family, called together the suburban businessmen to propose that the old ancestral palace of Lugang be rebuilt. The reconstruction project started in mengchun (January of the lunar calendar) in 1870. In order to expand the temple pattern, the temple was moved 8 feet (240 cm) north, and the temple width was increased 3 feet (90 cm), and the temple door was still facing the north The west faces the sea.

In this reconstruction, all the old temples were demolished and rebuilt. After more than four years, the reconstruction of Tianhou palace was completed in Mengdong (October of the lunar calendar) in 1874. As a result of the renovation, the temple took on a new look. At that time, craftsmen from Quanzhou "xilaiyuan" were invited to carve the statue of Mazu, Qianliyan and shunfenger.

On November 10 of the first year of Showa (1926), Guo Zhenying, the administrator of Tianhou Palace at that time, and other 20 people jointly applied to Taichung Prefecture for "permission to raise funds for the reconstruction of Lukang Tianhou Palace". On June 7 of the second year of Showa (1927), Tianhou Palace was granted permission to rebuild.

It took 10 years for the temple to be rebuilt in 2002 and completed in 2011. In this reconstruction, the main hall and Sanchuan hall have been basically demolished and rebuilt, but the back hall has not been rebuilt. It is still the Lingxiao hall dedicated to the Jade Emperor.

In 1959, on the 1000th anniversary of Mazu's birth, the believers of Lukang donated money to rebuild the rear hall, and in 1961, they completed the installation of the gods. In 1985, it was designated as the third level national historic site. In 1992, the Mazu cultural relics museum was set up to display the Mazu cultural relics, Phoenix chariot and Meizhou ancestral temple as gifts to the Tianhou palace in Lugang.

The Empress Dowager's palace in Lukang was moved from Shi Shibang's site in 1725, and rebuilt in 1815, 1874 and 1936. At present, two photos taken during the Japanese occupation period are preserved in the temple. They are the appearance of the temple when it was rebuilt in the 13th year of Tongzhi. At that time, the building scale of Tianhou palace was three into two courtyard, which were Sanchuan hall, main hall and back hall. Sanchuan palace is a three Bay building with eight character walls on both sides. The eight character wall was built in the fourth year of Dazheng by the local navy of Lukang named yuanziyan (CAI Tianyan).

In 1922, Shi Xingse, a gentry of Lukang, led the staff of Tianhou palace to Meizhou ancestral temple to pay homage to their ancestors. The pilgrimage group started from Keelung port. At that time, Shi Xingse hired a photographer to accompany the pilgrimage group to Meizhou ancestral temple, leaving several precious photos for Tianhou palace. After the pilgrimage, local people proposed to rebuild the Empress Dowager palace in Lukang. At that time, Quan Heli Wang junnian, the administrator of the Empress Dowager palace in Lukang, convened a meeting of 30 Bao Zheng (equivalent to today's Li Chang) in Lukang street to discuss the renovation of the Empress Dowager palace, and invited Gu Xianrong, a gentry from Lukang, to be the Prime Minister for the renovation of the Empress Dowager palace, preparing for the restoration of the temple. However, Wang junnian, the founder of the temple's restoration, died on October 29 of the same year, resulting in the suspension of temple restoration.

On November 10, 1926, 21 people, including Guo Zhenying, the then administrator of the Empress Dowager palace, jointly applied to Taichung Prefecture for the "permission to send funds for the reconstruction of the Empress Dowager palace in Lukang". On June 7, 1927, Sanpu Lulang, the then governor of Taichung Prefecture, issued the "permit for the reconstruction of the Empress Dowager palace in China Police insurance No. 9258". In addition to listing the budget of 30000 yuan for the reconstruction, the plan for the reconstruction was attached There are plan, front view, step view and side view of the main hall.

After the permission for the reconstruction of Lugang Tianhou palace was granted, the local gentry established the "general representative for the reconstruction of Lugang Tianhou Palace", which was composed of 96 people, including Gu Xianrong, Chen Maocheng, Chen Peiyao, Guo Zhenying, Huang Liyong, Cai dunbo, Wang shunnian, Huang zeqian, etc. Gu Xianrong and quanheli contributed 30000 yuan and 3000 yuan respectively for the reconstruction. Tin Hau palace was rebuilt from the main hall, and the statues in the main hall were temporarily moved to Sanchuan hall for worship. At that time, the statue of Guanyin was rebuilt in Longshan Temple of Lugang in 1927, and was dedicated to protecting the dragon. Therefore, there is a slang saying in Lugang: "the mother of Guanyin in Longshan Temple protects the dragon, and the mother of Mazu worships the pavilion" (Minnan dialect).

In 1927, the restoration of the Empress Dowager's palace in Lukang was officially started. When the main hall was to be rebuilt, local people in Lukang believed that local craftsmen should be in charge of the restoration of the Empress Dowager's palace, so they took the method of comparing the poles and feet. Four people from Lukang, such as Cai Lin (Shi Lin), Shen Tong Zi (Huang Shen Tong), Shui Long Shi (Shi Shui long) and Zhuan Zai TOU (Liang Jin Zhuan), were compared Pole and ruler. Ku Hsien Jung, Prime Minister of the Tin Hau Temple renovation, asked Yishun (Wang Yi Shun) to evaluate it. Because none of the people from Lukang had any experience in large-scale Temple projects, and Yishun thought that the size designed was too fancy to be responsible for the renovation,