Qian’ao Mazu Temple

Qian’ao Mazu Temple

Qian’ao Mazu Temple is a cultural heritage site protected by Lufeng City.

Qian’ao Mazu Temple is located in Qian’ao Village, Jieshi Town, Lufeng City, adjacent to Qian’ao Fort. It was first built in the early years of the Kangxi reign during the Qing Dynasty and rebuilt in the 13th year of the Daoguang reign (1833). Qian’ao was a frontline coastal defense position of the Jieshi Guard during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The area originally had a fort, which was one of eight forts constructed under the supervision of Governor Yang Lin in eastern Guangdong in the 56th year of the Kangxi reign (1717). During the Daoguang reign, to strengthen coastal military defenses, the Jieshi Guard’s Central Battalion Command moved the original fort 200 meters closer to the sea and rebuilt it, while also expanding and reconstructing the Mazu Temple on the original fort site. This is the only Mazu Temple along the eastern Guangdong coast that was sponsored and funded by military officers and soldiers under the leadership of the military command. In the 19th year of the Daoguang reign (1839), Lin Zexu personally visited Jieshi to oversee coastal defenses and added more cannons to Qian’ao Fort. In the same year, the Jieshi Guard forces repelled a provocation from a British merchant ship at Qian’ao. Upon hearing the news, Lin Zexu inscribed and bestowed a plaque titled “Boundless Grace of the Vast Sea,” which was hung in Qian’ao Mazu Temple to commend the Jieshi military and civilians for their resistance against the British. Since then, Qian’ao Mazu Temple has gained widespread fame. The existing structure is the remnant of the rebuilding from the 13th year of the Daoguang reign. It features a two-courtyard quadrangle layout with side corridors. The roof is of the flush-gable type, and the timber frame follows the post-and-lintel construction style, covering a total area of 1,000 square meters. The main ridge of the temple gate is inlaid with porcelain pieces forming a “double dragons playing with a pearl” design. The plaster sculptures and colored paintings depict landscapes, figures, plants, animals, and theatrical stories. The entire architectural complex is rigorously structured and rich in local characteristics. Inside the temple are preserved five Qing Dynasty steles documenting its construction, as well as historical relics such as plaques, wood carvings, and stone carvings. It is now open as a tourist site and has been registered and protected as an immovable cultural relic by the Lufeng City cultural authorities.

Qian’ao Village: The Qian’ao Village Committee is located in the southern suburbs of Jieshi Town, covering an area of 240 square meters. It administers three villager groups with a population of around 2,400, primarily engaged in agriculture and fishing. It is one of the village committees with relatively weaker economic conditions. … Qian’ao Village detailed information++