Dongyin Zhongliu Tianhou Temple ( zh, t=東引中柳天后宮, p=Dōngyǐn Zhōngliǔ Tiānhòu Gōng) is a

Mazu Mazu or Matsu is a Chinese sea goddess also known by several other names and titles. She is the deified form of the legendary figure Lin Mo or Lin Moniang, a Fujianese shamaness whose life span is traditionally dated from 960 to 987. Re ...

temple located in Zhongliu Village,

Dongyin Dongyin Township (Tungyin) (; Foochow Romanized: Dĕ̤ng-īng-hiŏng) is an insular rural township which is part of Lienchiang County (the Matsu Islands), Fujian Province, Republic of China (Taiwan). The islands are in the East China Sea off th ...

Lienchiang County The Matsu Islands ( or , ; Foochow Romanized: Mā-cū liĕk-dō̤), officially Lienchiang County (, ; Foochow Romanized: Lièng-gŏng-gâing), are an archipelago of 36 islands and islets in the East China Sea governed by the Republic of China ( ...

, Taiwan. The temple is allegedly founded by

Cai Qian Cai Qian (; pinyin: Cài Qiān; 1761–1809) was a Chinese people, Chinese sea merchant, considered by some a pirate during the Qing dynasty era. Biography Cai Qian was born in Tong'an District, which is a county in the prefecture of Quanzhou ...

, an infamous

pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

in the

Qing Dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

History and legend

Early records of the temple has been lost, but the temple is believed to have been founded during the reign of

Jiaqing Emperor The Jiaqing Emperor (13 November 1760 – 2 September 1820), also known by his temple name Emperor Renzong of Qing, born Yongyan, was the sixth emperor of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, and the fifth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, fro ...

. According to tradition, when Cai was harbored in Dongyin, he saw a farmer and his cow cutting down a wheat field on a hill even though it was too early for harvest. Since food was scarce, Cai climbed the hill to investigate, but the farmer, cow, and field had all disappeared. However, from the vantage point, Cai then saw several Qing ships sailing towards Dongyin, so he hastily ordered his men to leave the island. Cai believed that his vision was a spirit protecting him, so he returned to the island to build a Mazu temple, where he also placed statue named ''Limai Dawang'' (犁麥大王, lit. "king of cutting wheat") for the temple to worship.

References

{{Authority control Mazu temples in Lienchiang County