Beidou Dian'an Temple

Beidou Dian'an Temple, along with Changhua Nanyao Temple and Lukang Tianhou Temple, are known as the three major Mazu temples in Changhua County. Dian'an Temple's predecessor was Dongluo Street Tianhou Temple (original site in Jiumei Village, Xizhou Township), founded during the Kangxi era, making it the oldest Mazu temple in Southern Changhua. However, in the 11th year of Jiaqing (1806), due to floods and warfare, Dongluo Street collapsed, and its residents largely migrated to "Baodou" (present-day Beidou). They rebuilt Tianhou Temple there, intending to "establish their homes and bring peace to the people," and thus "Tianhou Temple" was renamed "Dian'an Temple." During the Qing dynasty, Beidou Street was the most prosperous commercial center in the southern Changhua region. Consequently, Dian'an Temple developed a considerable inter-village religious sphere, covering present-day Beidou Township and parts of Xizhou, Tianwei, and Pitou townships, with its influence extending to Tianzhong Township and Ershui Township. The old Beidou Dian'an Temple was designated a third-class national historical monument in the 72nd year of the Republic (1983). However, due to disrepair over the years and to facilitate the construction of the front hall, it was relocated to Taiwan Folk Village. Subsequently, an expansion project for the front hall was undertaken, and the temple formally enshrined its deities in the 92nd year of the Republic (2003). Important historical artifacts within the temple include five Qing dynasty movable-limbed Mazu statues and a Guanyin Bodhisattva carved from a thousand-year-old red cypress sacred tree. (Source: Hsieh Rui-lung, "Local History of Beidou")