Miaodao Xianying Palace

Miaodao Xianying Palace

Miaodao Xianying Palace is a cultural tourism attraction.

Miaodao Xianying Palace is located on Miaodao in Miaoshan County, Shandong Province. It was first built in the fourth year of the Xuanhe era of the Northern Song Dynasty (1122 AD), making it the earliest and most influential Mazu temple in northern China. Originally, it was a Buddhist monastery on Shamen Island (the ancient name for Miaodao), consisting of just three thatched cottages. As the Yuan Dynasty established its capital in Beijing, maritime trade flourished, and most tributes to the capital were transported by sea from the southern coastal regions. At that time, Shamen Island was a key stop along the maritime transport route, where cargo ships had to anchor and wait for favorable winds. Since most of the boatmen were from Fujian and devout believers in Mazu, they built a Mazu shrine on the island to worship her, a custom that gradually took root.

Around the 16th year of the Yuan Dynasty (1279 AD), ship workers from Fujian and Zhejiang funded the expansion of the original site, converting the Buddhist monastery into a Taoist sacred space dedicated exclusively to the worship of Mazu, the Goddess of the Sea. It became widely known as the “Goddess of the Sea Temple.” This was the first Mazu temple in China’s northern coastal regions and also marked the beginning of the northward spread of Mazu belief. During the Ming Dynasty, as the temple’s influence and fame grew, Miaodao Mazu Temple effectively became the center for Mazu belief and Mazu culture in China’s northern coastal areas. Its reach extended not only across the seaports and inland rivers along the Bohai and Yellow Seas but also as far as Korea and Japan—so much so that the island’s ancient name “Shamen Island” was replaced by “Goddess of the Sea Temple Island.” In the first year of the Chongzhen Emperor’s reign during the Ming Dynasty, an official decree was issued to establish an official temple. Yang Guodong, the Left Commander of Shandong, carried out a large-scale expansion of the Mazu Temple under imperial order. The Chongzhen Emperor bestowed a plaque inscribed with the name “Xianying Palace.” From then on, Miaodao Xianying Palace (Mazu Temple) reached its peak in both fame and scale. Over the Qing Dynasty, through successive expansions during the reigns of Emperors Kangxi, Qianlong, and Daoguang, Xianying Palace grew increasingly vast, forming a complex of ancient temples centered around the main Xianying Palace building and supported by eight additional temples including Sanyuan Palace, Guan Di Temple, Dragon King Temple, and Jade Emperor Temple. Since the reform and opening-up period, the Miaoshan County government has carried out three large-scale renovations and restorations of Miaodao Xianying Palace, essentially restoring the temple to its historical appearance. The site remains a place of active worship year-round, attracting over ten thousand pilgrims during the annual Lantern Festival and Mazu’s birthday celebrations.

The reason the Mazu Temple was built on Miaodao is due to the island’s shape, which resembles a phoenix, while the nearby Shaobing Island to its north looks like the sun. Together, the two islands create a formation resembling a “vermilion phoenix facing the sun,” considered an exceptionally auspicious feng shui site. During the Cultural Revolution in 1969, the original temple was destroyed, leaving only a statue and a mirror. It was rebuilt in 1983 and opened to visitors in 1985. Here, you can also visit Guan Di Temple.