Chiwan Tin Hau Temple

Source: szns.gov.cnUpdated: 2022-01-25

《航拍赤湾天后宫》,何力.jpg

Chiwan Tianhou Palace, formerly known as “Mazu Temple” and also known as “Chiwan Tin Hau Temple,” has risen to fame since the Ming Dynasty. In the early years of the reign of Ming Dynasty Emperor Wanli, Zheng He, a celebrated mariner and diplomat, regarded it as an important stop during his voyages to the Western Oceans. “Beautiful Scenery of Chiwan” centering around Tianhou Palace has ever ranked first of “The Eight Views of Xin’an” during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Chiwan Tin Hau Temple was repeatedly rebuilt and expanded. By the end of the Qing Dynasty, the complex consisted of 100 buildings of various sizes, and there were more than 20 such buildings as mountain gate, archway, moon pond, stone bridge, bell tower, drum tower, front hall, main hall, apse, left and right side halls, wing rooms, long corridors, stele pavilions, and corner pavilions, plus annex, temple properties and sacrificial fields, covering an area of over 60 hectares (more than 900 mu) (please refer to the 1997 edition of “Bao’an County Chronicles”). Chiwan Tin Hau Temple, which is grand and imposing and has a wide variety of appearance, became the largest Mazu temple in the coastal area at that time, enjoying a long-standing reputation in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia countries.

In December 1992, Shenzhen Municipal Government and Nanshan District Government earmarked funds to restore Mazu Temple according to its original historical appearance and renamed it “Chiwan Tin Hau Temple.” In 1995, the restoration project was completed, and it was open to the public.

After the restoration, the complex covers an area of 12,800 square meters, with a total floor area of 6,835 square meters. From front to back, Tin Hau Temple chiefly has gates, archways, moon ponds, and stone bridges. In the middle of the complex, there is a courtyard with a water well inside. The temple is flanked by drum tower, and at the back of the temple, there is the main hall surrounded by corridors and wing rooms on both sides. Apart from official rooms on the left and right sides of the main hall, there are other wing rooms in the main hall surrounded by a walled courtyard. In addition, there are a wide variety of stone pillars, slabs, and stone bars in the complex.

In 1997, Tin Hau Museum was set up in Nanshan District. In July 1988, Chiwan Tin Hau Temple was designated a cultural relics protection site by the Shenzhen Municipal Government.

Location: No. 6, Chiwan 6th Road, Nanshan District


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