Tianhou Temple – the Temple of the Queen of Heaven

Tianhou temple is also known as the Temple of the Queen of Heaven. These types of temples can be frequently seen in the coastal cities of China, Macau, Hong Kong and even the Southeast part of Asia. It is believed that veneration of the Queen of Heaven can guarantee the calm going of the sea journey; hence, you can notice that every front door of this Temple is made facing the sea. Tianhou temple in the Qingdao Province in China was built in the year of 1467 during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), and is widely known for combining the folk and the marine cultures. It is situated at the Taiping Road and is an ancient structure of architecture containing strong national features sideways the shoreline. It is a renowned cultural fascination place and base for learning the folk talent of Qingdao.

Amazing art works

The entire temple has sixteen erections and more than eighty rooms, counting the central hall, wing-rooms, subsidiary halls, a bell tower, an opera tower and a drum tower. The opera tower is enclosed with glassy tiles, whereas the rest of the buildings, made with gray tiles and dry walls, have colorful carvings and paintings. Two stone tablets preserved here noted the renovation of the temple for the duration of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Of all the early buildings of Qingdao, the painting art and architecture here are lesser to no one.

The biggest woodcarving in the entire world

Toward the inside of the temple, one will initially see the two-storey splendid opera tower. The pole and two large stone lions in front of the tower create the temple to be even more wonderful. The four riches of the study (ink stick, writing brush, paper and ink slab) and exceptional antiques are on exhibition inside. The crossbeams which are present in the opera tower are decorated with gorgeous drawings. The bell and drum towers are present on the borders of the opera tower. The central hall is the place where the Mazu (the Heavenly Empress or the Queen of Heaven) is preserved. The 2.8-meter (9.2 feet) tall sculpture of Mazu, prepared from camphorwood, is the biggest woodcarving in the entire world. In addition, several rare primeval trees exist here which is a mixture of archetypal temple and appealing garden. A huge osmanthus tree blooms vermeil flowers in the season of autumn and the fragrant smell entices many tourists. It would be wonderful information knowing that a female and a male gingko trees have continued to exist more than 500 years!

Traditional folk museum of Qingdao

The temple has been converted into a traditional folk museum of Qingdao. In excess of 100 folk traditional remnants are reserved in the museum, comprising Chinese fancy knots, paper-cut, bead-weaving, agate, clothing art, calligraphies, portraits, montages, inside-painting bottles and poker work. They can be called the Qingdao folk art in miniscule and the echo of Chinese folk art and the museum has developed into a market for the folk handiworks of the province of Qingdao. You can visit the temple by taking bus no. 6, 26 and 214 and getting off at the gates of the temple.