Cihua Temple

Cihua Temple is located in Yuanbei Village of this town, with Mazu (Goddess of Heaven) as its main deity. Cihua Temple was formerly known as "Chengwai Mazu" (Mazu outside the city wall) and, along with Shuntian Temple, was one of Yuanli's two major centers of faith. Due to factors such as transportation infrastructure development and urban expansion, Cihua Temple has surpassed Shuntian Temple in both architectural scale and number of devotees, becoming Yuanli's largest center of faith. In the 53rd year of Kangxi (1714), Cihua Temple was founded north of today's Tianxialu Market. In the 37th year of Qianlong (1773) of the Qing dynasty, it was rebuilt and relocated to its current site by proponents such as Huang Zairong, Huang Yinglu, and Chen Zhicheng. Cihua Temple primarily worships Mazu, with co-deities including Zhusheng Niangniang (Goddess of Childbirth), Sanshan Guowang (Kings of the Three Mountains), Chenghuangye (City God), Guan Sheng Dijun (Emperor Guan), Yu Huang Dadi (Jade Emperor), Xuan Tian Shangdi (Emperor of the Dark Heaven), Sanguan Dadi (Three Officials), Wenchang Dijun (God of Culture and Literature), Changsheng Dadi (God of Longevity), Ziwei Dadi (Emperor Ziwei), and Taisui Xingjun (Grand Duke of Jupiter). Cihua Temple currently houses many ancient artifacts. Besides the "Pengshan Cihua Temple Stele Inscription," the Mazu statue on the shrine, the altar table, Qianliyan (Thousand-Mile Eye), and Shunfeng'er (Wind-Following Ear) are all original. There is also an ancient stone incense burner from the 36th year of Qianlong (1771), an old wooden altar table, an ancient plaque "Haiguo Biaoling" (Beacon of the Sea Nation) placed in the 38th year of Qianlong (1773), and an imperial bestowed plaque "Yu Tian Tong Gong" (Equal to Heaven's Merit) from the 10th year of Guangxu (1884), commemorating Mazu's meritorious service in saving the emperor.