Tianhou Palace (Mazu Temple), Tianjin天津天后宫（附）

Type

Temples and Abbeys (Gongguan)

Location

China · Tianjin · Tianjin · Ancient Culture Street, Nankai District

Coordinates

39.14, 117.193 Map ↗

First built

Yuan, third year of Taiding (1326) · One of the largest Mazu temples in northern China; presided over by Daoist priests in the Ming and Qing; now the Tianjin Folklore Museum

Heritage status

Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level (2013)Tianjin Huanghui (Imperial Assembly), National Intangible Cultural Heritage

Overview

Tianhou Palace in Tianjin, popularly known as Niangniang Gong, was built in the third year of the Taiding era of the Yuan (1326) to worship the sea goddess Tianfei (Mazu); it is one of the oldest and largest surviving Mazu temples in northern China, and the city of Tianjin itself grew up around it, giving rise to the saying "First came Niangniang Gong, then came Tianjin Wei." In the Ming and Qing it was presided over by Daoist priests and also worshipped folk deities such as Grandmother Wang the Third. The temple faces east toward the Hai River, with a mountain gate, memorial archway, front hall, main hall, sutra pavilion, and Qisheng Shrine; the main hall retains its Yuan-dynasty form, rebuilt in the Ming and Qing. The Tianjin Huanghui (the procession for Mazu's birthday) is a National Intangible Cultural Heritage item. After 1985 it was established as the Tianjin Folklore Museum and religious activity resumed. This entry serves as an appendix on Mazu worship.

Highlights

• Main Hall
• Sutra Pavilion
• Huanghui Procession
• Ancient Culture Street