Mazu 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 Fukianese shamaness whose life span is traditionally dated from 960 to 987. Revered after her death as a tutelary deity of seafarers, including fishermen and sailors, her worship spread throughout China's coastal regions and overseas Chinese communities throughout Southeast Asia. She was thought to roam the seas, protecting her believers through miraculous interventions. She is now generally regarded by her believers as a powerful and benevolent Queen of Heaven. Mazu worship is popular in Taiwan as large numbers of early immigrants to Taiwan were Min people; her temple festival is a major event in the country, with the largest celebrations around her temples at Dajia and Beigang.
Taichung, officially Taichung City, is a special municipality located in central Taiwan. Taichung has a population of approximately 2.82 million people and is Taiwan's second most populous city. It serves as the core of the Taichung–Changhua metropolitan area, which is the second largest metropolitan area in Taiwan. The current city was formed when Taichung County merged with the original provincial Taichung City to form the special municipality on 25 December 2010. It is classified as a "Gamma" level global city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network.
Yunlin County is a county in western Taiwan. It is located east of the Taiwan Strait, west of Nantou County, and is separated from Changhua County by the Zhuoshui River and from Chiayi County by the Beigang River. Yunlin is part of the Chianan Plain, a flat land known for its agriculture. Agricultural products of Yunlin County include pomelo, tea leaves, suan cai, papaya and muskmelon. Yunlin's rivers give it potential for hydroelectricity. Douliu is the largest and capital city of Yunlin. It is the only county on Taiwan main island where no city with the same name exists. Yunlin is one of the least developed counties on the West coast, and suffers from emigration.
Qingshui District, also spelled as Chingshui District, is a coastal suburban district in western Taichung City, Taiwan.
Dajia District is a coastal suburban district in Taichung, Taiwan. It is located on the northwestern corner of Taichung. The climate of the region is Sub-tropical, and the average temperature is roughly 24 degrees Celsius. In March 2012, it was named one of the Top 10 Small Tourist Towns by the Tourism Bureau of Taiwan.
Dajia is a railway station on the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) West Coast line located in Dajia District, Taichung, Taiwan.
Yongchun is a county in western Quanzhou city of southern Fujian province, People's Republic of China, located on the upper reaches of the Jin River. It is under the administration of Quanzhou City. As of 2009, it had a total population of 558,996 residing in an area of 1,469 square kilometres (567 sq mi).
Xingang Township or Singang Township is a rural township in Chiayi County, Taiwan.
Yen Ching-piao is a Taiwanese politician.
The architecture of Taiwan can be traced back to stilt housing of the aborigines in prehistoric times; to the building of fortresses and churches in the north and south used to colonize and convert the inhabitants during the Dutch and Spanish period; the Tungning period when Taiwan was a base of anti-Qing sentiment and Minnan-style architecture was introduced; in Qing dynasty period, a mix of Chinese and Western architecture appeared and artillery battery flourished during Qing's Self-Strengthening Movement; During the Japanese rule of Taiwan, the Minnan, Japanese and Western culture were main influencers in architectural designs and saw the introduction and use of reinforced concrete. Due to excessive Westernization as a colony, after the retrocession of Taiwan to the Republic of China in 1945 from Japan at the end of World War II, Chinese classical style became popular and entered into international mainstream as a postmodern design style. Today, Taiwanese architecture has undergone much diversification, every style of architecture can be seen.
The Baishatun Mazu Pilgrimage is usually held annually between lunar January and April in the western plains of Taiwan, a major Taoist religious event since 1863. After every lunar new year, the Mazu statue of Gongtian Temple at Baishatun, Tongxiao of Miaoli County, is placed in a palanquin and carried in procession to visit another Mazu Temple- Chaotian Temple, located in the area of Beigang of Yunlin County, then returns to Gongtian Temple to end this pilgrimage. The distance covered is approximately 400 km total.
Zi Yun Yan, alternatively romanized as Tzu Yun Yen, is a temple located in Qingshui District, Taichung, Taiwan. The temple is dedicated to Guanyin.
Bengang Tianhou Temple is a temple located in Nangang Village, Xingang Township, Chiayi County, Taiwan. Sitting on the south shore of the Beigang River, the temple is dedicated to Mazu, Goddess of Sea.
Dazhuang Haotian Temple is a temple located in Dazhuang, Wuqi District, Taichung, Taiwan. The temple is dedicated to the sea goddess Mazu.
Nanfang'ao Nantian Temple is a temple dedicated to the sea goddess Mazu in Nanfang'ao, Su'ao Township, Yilan County, Taiwan.
The Dajia Mazu Pilgrimage is an annual celebration of the Taoist sea goddess Mazu held in Taiwan. During the festival, a statue of Mazu is placed in a litter and carried by foot on a round-trip journey from Jenn Lann Temple in Dajia, Taichung to Fengtian Temple in Xingang, Chiayi, stopping at many more temples along the way. The festival lasts for nine days and attracts large crowds of pilgrims, who travel alongside the litter.
Xingang Fengtian Temple, sometimes romanized as Fongtian Temple, is a temple located in Xingang Township, Chiayi County, Taiwan. The temple is a county-level monument and the destination of the annual Dajia Mazu Pilgrimage.
