Cihu temple (Jinshan Mazu Temple)

On the Low Street of Jinshan, Cihu Temple is more than 200 years old. The largest temple in the region, it worships “golden-faced Mazu,” a goddess. And as the region’s folk belief center, the locals simply call it “the big temple.” Cihu Temple’s foundations, racks, roofs and everything else of the building are so refined that they are like works of art worth careful appreciation. The octagonal dragon pillars in the main hall, crafted in the year of Tongzhi of the Qing Dynasty, are extremely precious.

Every year on April 16 in the lunar calendar, Mazu would “return home” from Jinshan to Yehliu. The “journey” is a unique and important festivity in the areas of Jinshan, Shimen and Wanli.