The Cide Temple on Dianziding Street,
[ also known as the Dianziding, Liujia, Mazu, or Tianhou Temple, is a ]temple
A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called church (building), churches), Hindui ...
northwest of Lotus Lake
Lotus Pond () is an artificial lake and popular tourist destination on the east side of Zuoying District in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Opened in 1951, it is famous for the lotus plants on the lake and the numerous temples around the lake, including the S ...
in Zuoying District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northe ...
. In Chinese, it is commonly distinguished by its location.[. ]
History
The temple was originally built as an unnamed temple to the Chinese earth god Tudigong
Tudigong ( "Lord of the Soil and the Ground") or Tudishen ( "God of the Soil and the Ground"), also known simply as Tudi ( "Soil-Ground") is a tutelary deity of a locality and the human communities who inhabit it in Chinese folk religion and Tao ...
. In 1821, the temple was renamed the Palace of Kindness and Virtue[ and rededicated to both Tudigong and ]Mazu
Mazu or Matsu is a Chinese sea goddess also known by several other names and titles. She is the deified form of the legendary figure Lin Mo or Lin Moniang, a Fujianese shamaness whose life span is traditionally dated from 960 to 987. ...
, the deified form of Lin Moniang from medieval Fujian
Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of 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 c ...
who is worshipped as the Goddess of Sea and also honoured as the Queen of Heaven. In 1941, amid the Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, the Japanese occupation government converted to an agriculture office and later a regimental branch office.[ The Japanese ordered the demolition of the palace, but it was rebuilt from 1973 to 1976.
]
Services
On Mazu's birthday according to the Chinese lunar calendar
The traditional Chinese calendar (also known as the Agricultural Calendar ��曆; 农历; ''Nónglì''; 'farming calendar' Former Calendar ��曆; 旧历; ''Jiùlì'' Traditional Calendar ��曆; 老历; ''Lǎolì'', is a lunisolar calendar ...
, the temple hosts a Taiwanese opera group who performs on a stage in front of the temple's main hall.
See also
* Qianliyan
Qianliyan is a Chinese sea and door god. He usually appears with Shunfeng'er as a guardian of the temples of the sea goddess Mazu.
Name
The name "Qianliyan" literally means "He of the Thousand- Mile" or "League Eyes" but may be taken more ...
& Shunfeng'er
Shunfeng'er is a Chinese sea and door god. He usually appears with Qianliyan as a guardian of the temples of the sea goddess Mazu.
Name
The name "Shunfeng'er" literally means "Wind Accompanying Ears" in reference to his ability to hear any so ...
* List of Mazu temples around the world
* Chi Ming Palace
* Zuoying Ciji Temple
* Zhouzi Qingshui Temple
* Spring and Autumn Pavilions
* List of temples in Taiwan
This is a list of notable temples in Taiwan associated with Chinese folk religion, mostly Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. Religious affiliation is based on what each temple registered as to the Ministry of the Interior
An interior ministry ...
* Religion in Taiwan
Religion in Taiwan is characterised by a diversity of religious beliefs and practices, predominantly those pertaining to the continued preservation of the ancient Chinese culture and religion. Freedom of religion is inscribed in the constitut ...
References
1687 establishments in Taiwan
Mazu temples in Kaohsiung
Religious buildings and structures completed in 1687
Zuoying District
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