Longfeng Temple
官澳龍鳳宮
Temple facade
Religion
AffiliationTaoism
DeityMazu
Location
LocationJinsha, Kinmen County, Fujian
CountryRepublic of China
Geographic coordinates24°31′06″N 18°24′45″E / 24.51821°N 18.4126°E / 24.51821; 18.4126
Architecture
Completed1611
Direction of façadeWest

Guan'ao Longfeng Temple (traditional Chinese: 官澳龍鳳宮; simplified Chinese: 官澳龙凤宫; pinyin: Guān'ào Lóngfèng Gōng) is a temple located in Jinsha Township, Kinmen County, Fujian. The temple's main deity is the sea goddess Mazu.

History

The temple was founded in 1611, making it one of the oldest Mazu temples in Kinmen; at the time, it only housed one Mazu and was known as Tianfei Temple (天妃廟). A nearby temple named Fengshan Temple (鳯山寺), which was dedicated to Guangze Zunwang, was initially located on a beach but collapsed from damage by the ocean. After being moved inland, Fengshan Temple was taken by ROC forces during the Retreat of the Republic of China to Taiwan. Therefore, the statue was moved into Tianfei Temple in 1949, and the temple was renamed to Longfeng Temple. The new name, which translates to "dragon-phoenix temple", is a reference to these two deities.[1][2]: 8–21 

On September 26, 2007, Longfeng Temple was protected as a county-level monument.[3]

Worship

Longfeng Temple has three statues of Mazu nicknamed Meili, Meihua, and Meilian; each has a different birthdate, but are collectively celebrated on the 23rd day of the third month in the Chinese calendar. There are two statues of Guangze Zunwang. The smaller one is the one originally in Fengshan Temple. The larger one's base and hat is said to have floated to Kinmen from Mainland China and was worshipped without a statue. Then, a straw cape maker claimed that Guangze Zunwang wanted a "body", so a piece of camphor was taken from a dry well and carved into a statue. There is also a statue of Guangong, which used to be placed in another temple named Chicheng Temple (赤埕宮) that was abandoned.[1]

Other statues worshipped include Baosheng Dadi, Guanyin, Zhusheng Niangniang, Shancai Tongzi, Yunü, Liwangye (黎王爺), Xingwangye (邢王爺), Gaowangye (高王爺), Qiuwangye (邱王爺), Yajinggong (壓境公), and Yajingniang (壓境娘).[4]

Architecture

Historically, Longfeng Temple was the primary temple in the area, so the temple was built extravagantly. The rectangular complex has two halls that are seven kaijian (eight columns) wide in a layout that is similar to Ming Dynasty palace architecture. The central courtyard has a stage for plays, likely to protect it from marauding pirates. The interior has a variety of paintings and wooden sculptures of historic value. Most of the structural supports date from when the temple was reinforced in 1970.[1][2]: 113–141 

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "官澳龍鳳宮". 臺灣宗教文化資產 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Ministry of the Interior. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  2. 1 2 金門縣定古蹟官澳龍鳳宮調查研究計畫 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Kinmen County: 金門縣文化局. March 2008. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  3. ↑ "官澳龍鳳宮". National Cultural Heritage Database Management System (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Bureau of Cultural Heritage. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  4. ↑ "官澳龍鳳宮". 金門縣文化局 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). December 11, 2018. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
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