Dongtou Mazu Temple

Dongtou Mazu Temple

Dongtou Mazu Temple is a Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Mazu Temple (Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit)

Era: Qing Dynasty

Announcement Date: August 29, 1997

There are nine Mazu temples on the Dongtou Archipelago. The Mazu Temple in Dongsha was built during the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty and is the largest and most structurally intact Mazu temple still existing in Zhejiang. It has been listed as a provincial-level cultural relics protection unit. During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, fishermen from Hui'an, Fujian, engaged in fishing activities at Dongsha Port. They enshrined a camphorwood statue of Mazu on their boat, with its hands, feet, and body connected by movable joints. When these fishermen returned home to bring the deity back on board, for some reason, the statue’s hands and feet fell off. Local fishermen, seeing this, quickly said: “Mazu doesn’t want to go back. She likes it here—the scenery is nice—and she wants to stay. Please leave the statue with us!” And so, the Mazu statue remained. Residents of Dongsha and several nearby villages pooled money to build the Dongsha Mazu Temple in the architectural style of Hui'an Mazu temples. After the temple was constructed, incense offerings continued non-stop, especially from fishermen, and many transient Taiwanese fishermen also came to worship. On the 23rd day of the third lunar month, Mazu’s birthday, and the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, her ascension day, the temple holds large-scale worship ceremonies, invites opera troupes to perform, and becomes a grand hub of folk cultural activity.

This temple, built 250 years ago, has a total depth of 35.8 meters. Along its central axis are, in sequence: the entrance hall, stage, side rooms, courtyard, inner gate, worship pavilion, side chambers, and main hall. It features five bays, is 11.20 meters wide, and covers a construction area of over 400 square meters. The entire structure faces south and is backed by mountains and fronted by the sea. It is exquisitely designed, rigorously laid out, simple yet elegant, and remarkably well-preserved.

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units