Hualien Gang Tian Temple
Main Deities
About
Hualien Gang Tian Temple is the largest Mazu temple in eastern Taiwan, dedicated to the goddess whom locals affectionately call 'Gang Tian Ma' (Mazu, the Empress of Heaven), and an important center of faith for Hualien City. Its grounds are vast and its presence commanding, its architecture blending southern and northern styles in ornate detail — the enormous archway (pailou) and the wide temple plaza make an immediate impression. When Mazu's birthday comes around, the temple holds a grand celebratory procession that gathers up all the warmth of Hualien's people — a place not to be missed when you come to worship Mazu in Hualien.
History
The temple's story begins with a golden Mazu statue that crossed the sea with migrants. In the Guangxu era, around the 1890s, early Han settlers carried a branch statue of Mazu to Hualien Port — then known as 'Qilai' — where at first they could only enshrine this earliest 'Great Mazu' in a rough thatched hut. As the incense grew through the Japanese era, the hut was rebuilt as a small wooden temple. By 1977 the old temple had grown too small, and a new one was begun on the present site in Hualien City, taking years to reach the imposing form it holds today. Its Mazu-birthday procession, held around the third lunar month, is now the grandest religious event in Hualien City each year.
Hualien Gang Tian Temple
Hualien City, Hualien County
Visitor Info
Address
No. 15, Ln. 500, Sec. 1, Zhongshan Rd, Hualien City, Hualien County
Region
Hualien City, Hualien County