Zhijiang Tianhou Temple is also called Mazu Temple. Listed as a provincial cultural relics protection unit, Zhijiang Tianhou Temple is the largest Mazu Temple in mainland China and is known as one of the famous “100 Sceneries of Xiaoxiang (Hunan Province)”. Tianhou Temple is located in Zhijiang County and is one of the larger Mazu temples in the inland. Built in the 13th year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1748).
The pavilions, towers and pavilions in the palace, with cornices and arch of wooden architecture, are wide and solemn, and the gateways are built of stone. The carving technique is exquisite, and the hollowing is deep, which is vivid. The gate of Tianhou Palace is 11 meters high and 6.3 meters wide, built with Guizhou bluestone and shaped like a star gate tower. On both sides, male lions crouch, surrounded by carved railings of bluestone to form a platform.
In the middle, there are fifteen steps leading to the entrance, with 50 bluestone reliefs on all sides. The large stone carving covers an area of 2.5 square meters, while the small one covers an area of 0.3 square meters. The patterns are mostly fish, dragon, phoenix, lion, flowers, trees, gods, ghosts, humans, and immortals, with vivid images and clear faces. Above the doorway, there is a stone tablet inscribed with the words' Tianhou Palace 'in the center. The font is thick and round, and even with axes and chisels, the beauty of calligraphy is fully expressed.
Zhijiang Tianhou Palace covers an area of 3700 square meters, with a current preservation area of nearly 2000 square meters. The square is 10.3 meters high and 6.3 meters wide, with a total of 95 reliefs on the square, ranging from 2.62 square meters in large size to 0.09 square meters in small size, featuring fish, dragons, phoenixes, lions, flowers, trees, bamboo, gods, ghosts, humans, and immortals. The images are vivid and realistic, with clear and vivid images. Or one by one, or several by one. Flower arm's "Harmony between Fishermen and Woodcutters" is opposite to "Farming and Reading First", with eight side columns, "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea", "Red Phoenix Rising in the Sun", "Two Dragon Phoenix Beads", "Lion Rolling Embroidery Ball", etc., which are exquisitely carved, hollowed out and engraved deeply, and can be called a masterwork.
Travel Tips
Address: Near Zhijiang Sanqiao, Zhijiang Dong Autonomous County, Huaihua City, Hunan Province
Opening Hours: 08:30-16:00 throughout the year
Admission fee: CNY 10