Tianjin Tianhou Temple
One of the oldest existing Mazu temples in China. Together with the Meizhou Ancestral Temple and the Quanzhou Tianhou Temple, it is known as one of the "Three Great Mazu Temples of China."
Mazu, also known as the Virgin Mary in Heaven, the Queen of the Sea, the Mother of Meizhou, etc. His original surname was Lin Mo. He was born in Shanglin Village (Today's Tianfei Hometown Site Park) in Meizhou Island (Island) in Putian, Fujian Province in the first year of Song Jianlong (the 23rd of the third lunar month in 960 AD). He died in the fourth year of Song Yongxi (987 AD) on the ninth day of September.
Mazu is a belief in the sea god centered on the southeastern coast of China. It evolved from the belief in witches and wizards in the Fujian and Yue regions of China and from real people and real things. In the process of development, it absorbed other folk beliefs.
As the influence of Mazu expanded, the belief in Mazu spread from Fujian to Zhejiang, Guangdong, Taiwan, Ryukyu, Japan, and Southeast Asia. As of March 2024, there are tens of thousands of Mazu palaces, temples and cultural institutions in 50 countries and regions around the world, with nearly 300 million followers.
