The Chaotian or Chaotien Temple, officially the Chao-Tian Temple,. & is a

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

to the

goddess A goddess is a female deity. In some faiths, a sacred female figure holds a central place in religious prayer and worship. For example, Shaktism (one of the three major Hinduism, Hindu sects), holds that the ultimate deity, the source of all re ...

Mazu Mazu or Matsu is a sea goddess in Chinese folk religion, Chinese Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. She is also known by several other names and titles. Mazu is the deified form of Lin Moniang (), a shamaness from Fujian who is said to ...

in Beigang Township,

Yunlin County Yunlin is a Counties of Taiwan, county in Regions of Taiwan, western Taiwan. Yunlin County borders the Taiwan Strait to the west, Nantou County to the east, Changhua County to the north at the Zhuoshui River, and Chiayi County to the south at th ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

. Constructed in 1700, it became one of the most important Mazu temples in Taiwan and is known for its extravagant temple architecture. It is visited by more than a million pilgrims every year.

Mazuism

, the deified form of the medieval Lin Moniang from

Fujian Fujian is a provinces of China, province in East China, southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefe ...

, has an enthusiastic following on Taiwan. Beigang was one of the most important Taiwanese ports in the 17th century. As Beigang and its economy grew, at the same time the temple grew and expanded. Today the Chaotian Temple at Beigang is an important religious site and pilgrimage destination. Beigang's Mazu tours to other Mazu temples through whole Taiwan every year for visits and inspections.

History

In 1694, a Buddhist monk named Shubi requested that a statue of

be brought to Beigang from the Chaotian Temple in her hometown of

Meizhou Meizhou ( zh, t=梅州, Hakka Chinese: Mòichû) is a prefecture-level city in eastern Guangdong province, China. It has an area of , and a population of 3,873,239 as of the 2020 census. It comprises Meijiang District, Meixian District, Xing ...

. In 1700, Chen Li-Shum donated a building lot and raised the funds to erect Beigang's own Chaotian Temple. In 1730, the temple was further expanded. In 1770, Penkang Magistrate Hsueh Chao-heng considered that the temple too simple to live up to the dignity of Goddess Matsu. Three years later another reconstruction of the temple started. In 1854 a number of ranking officials initiated a third project, expanding the temple into a palace-type architectural complex. The front wing consisted of worship courtyard and east and west chambers. The second wing was for worship of the Heavenly Mother, third wing for Goddess of mercy; east wing for San-Kuan Heavenly Emperors, west wing for Wenchang God, the 4th wing for Goddess Matsu's parents; east wing for Goddess of Childgiving and west wing, Lang God. Several renovation followed in the 20th century. Beigang Wind Orchestra at Mazu statue of Chaotian Temple

Beigang Wind Orchestra at Mazu statue of Chaotian Temple

Cultural activities

The Chaotian Temple also owns a cultural hall, where concert, dances and other activities take place. On top of the building is a statue of Mazu. The Chaotian Temple also sponsors events like the Beigang International Music Festival. Since 2020 and the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, a Buddhist Shuilu Fahui ceremony is sponsored by Chaotian Temple to pray for the eradication of the virus. The Beigang Wind Orchestra was founded in 1928 by Chen Chia-Hu (). On spiritual days the orchestra marches for the Chaotian temple. The Flying Dragons are a

dragon dance Dragon dance () is a form of traditional dance and performance in China, Chinese culture of China, culture. Like the lion dance, it is most often seen during festive celebrations. The dance is performed by a team of experienced dancers who man ...

troupe affiliated with the Chaotian Temple, founded by Weng San-lien around 1924. Creation of two Great Dragon Flags began in 1926, and the flags were used in processions until the 1950s.

References

External links

Chaotian Temple website
* {{coord, 23, 34, 04, N, 120, 18, 16, E, type:landmark_region:TW, display=title 1694 establishments in Taiwan Temples completed in 1694 Mazu temples in Yunlin County Mazu temples built by Buddhists National monuments of Taiwan

Mazuism

History

Cultural activities

See also

References

Further reading

External links