Baishatun Gongtian Temple
Main Deities
About
No one knows which way Mazu will go today — and that is exactly what makes Baishatun Gongtian Temple so captivating. In Tongxiao Township, Miaoli County, Gongtian Temple is dedicated to the 'soft-bodied' Mazu (the Heavenly Holy Mother) and is one of the most strong-willed Mazu temples in Taiwan. Its annual walking pilgrimage to Beigang Chaotian Temple follows no fixed route at all; the direction is decided entirely by Mazu's palanquin — nicknamed the 'Pink Supercar' — improvising as it goes, full of mystery and surprise. The pilgrimage procession moves fast and urgently, and often turns into schools, hospitals, or private homes to give blessings, scattering Mazu's approachable compassion into ordinary households all along the way.
History
During the Daoguang reign (around the 1830s), the fishermen of Baishatun pooled their funds to build a simple straw hut to Mazu along Miaoli's coast. The people here have made their living from the sea for generations, and Mazu faith was their most important spiritual support in facing wind and wave. The straw hut was rebuilt many times before reaching the scale of today's Gongtian Temple. What truly sets Baishatun Mazu apart is the 'pilgrimage' tradition that has never once lapsed — each first lunar month, Mazu's palanquin walks from Baishatun to Beigang Chaotian Temple in Yunlin and back, a round trip of some 400 kilometers over eight or nine days. Unlike Dajia Mazu, Baishatun Mazu decides her own route entirely, signaling the way through the swaying of her palanquin, walking a different path every year — which is why she is hailed as 'the Mazu with the strongest character.' In recent years the followers walking behind this palanquin have surpassed 100,000.
Baishatun Gongtian Temple
Tongxiao Township, Miaoli County
Visitor Info
Address
No. 8, Baidong Li, Tongxiao Township, Miaoli County
Region
Tongxiao Township, Miaoli County