Hou You-yi Attends Beam-Raising Ceremony for Jinbaoli Cihu Temple Restoration
New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi attended the beam-raising ceremony for the historic building reconstruction project of Jinbaoli Cihu Temple on June 4. The temple, a city-designated historic site and key religious center in Jinshan District, is undergoing restoration after termite damage to its main hall. The project, funded by NT$380 million in public donations, is expected to be completed by August 2028, restoring the temple's 200-year-old glory.
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- 📰 Published: June 4, 2026 at 15:37
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(Central News Agency, reporter Wang Hongguo, New Taipei City, June 4) New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi attended the beam-raising ceremony for the historic building reconstruction project of Jinbaoli Cihu Temple today. He stated that Jinbaoli Cihu Temple is an important religious center in the Jinshan area and a city-designated historic site, expressing hope to restore the glory of the 200-year-old ancient temple.
Mayor Hou, along with Kuomintang legislators Hung Meng-kai and Liao Hsien-hsiang, local representatives, Kuomintang New Taipei City mayoral candidate Lee Szu-chuan, Jinbaoli Cihu Temple Chairman Yu Chung-yi, Reconstruction Committee Chairman Hsu Kun-cheng, local dignitaries, and devotees, witnessed the completion of the beam-raising ceremony.
Mayor Hou noted that Jinbaoli Cihu Temple, founded in the 14th year of the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty (1809), was one of 17 Mazu temples in Tamsui Subprefecture at the time. The temple is dedicated to cultural heritage preservation, with its architecture possessing historical, local, special, and artistic value. It was registered as a city-designated historic site in 2019.
He mentioned that the annual "Jinbaoli Erma Returns to Yeliu Mazu Cave Festival" held in the fourth lunar month is Taiwan's only "low-tide pilgrimage" cultural festival. It was registered as a New Taipei City folk custom in 2018, giving the temple dual status as both tangible and intangible cultural heritage.
Mayor Hou said that after over 200 years since its construction, the temple's reconstruction is funded by NT$380 million in public donations. The New Taipei City Government's Cultural Assets Committee will coordinate with the reconstruction committee to restore the temple to its original architectural form.
Chairman Yu Chung-yi stated that the restoration was necessitated by termite damage to the main hall's structure. Professor Li Qian-lang, a professional cultural heritage scholar, was commissioned as the project director to formulate restoration or reuse plans. With guidance from the Cultural Affairs Department, the review process was completed. The temple will be rebuilt in its original Minnan-style architecture, with completion expected by August 2028, providing devotees with a higher-quality worship space.
According to the Civil Affairs Department, Jinbaoli Cihu Temple is a Mazu worship center in the North Coast area. During the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty, fishermen discovered an approximately 8-inch gold-faced Mazu statue in a sea cave on the Yeliu coast. Later, another Mazu statue was created, and the drifting statue was placed inside the larger one, locally known as "Jinshan Erma." (Editor: Chang Ming-kun) 1150604
Mayor Hou, along with Kuomintang legislators Hung Meng-kai and Liao Hsien-hsiang, local representatives, Kuomintang New Taipei City mayoral candidate Lee Szu-chuan, Jinbaoli Cihu Temple Chairman Yu Chung-yi, Reconstruction Committee Chairman Hsu Kun-cheng, local dignitaries, and devotees, witnessed the completion of the beam-raising ceremony.
Mayor Hou noted that Jinbaoli Cihu Temple, founded in the 14th year of the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty (1809), was one of 17 Mazu temples in Tamsui Subprefecture at the time. The temple is dedicated to cultural heritage preservation, with its architecture possessing historical, local, special, and artistic value. It was registered as a city-designated historic site in 2019.
He mentioned that the annual "Jinbaoli Erma Returns to Yeliu Mazu Cave Festival" held in the fourth lunar month is Taiwan's only "low-tide pilgrimage" cultural festival. It was registered as a New Taipei City folk custom in 2018, giving the temple dual status as both tangible and intangible cultural heritage.
Mayor Hou said that after over 200 years since its construction, the temple's reconstruction is funded by NT$380 million in public donations. The New Taipei City Government's Cultural Assets Committee will coordinate with the reconstruction committee to restore the temple to its original architectural form.
Chairman Yu Chung-yi stated that the restoration was necessitated by termite damage to the main hall's structure. Professor Li Qian-lang, a professional cultural heritage scholar, was commissioned as the project director to formulate restoration or reuse plans. With guidance from the Cultural Affairs Department, the review process was completed. The temple will be rebuilt in its original Minnan-style architecture, with completion expected by August 2028, providing devotees with a higher-quality worship space.
According to the Civil Affairs Department, Jinbaoli Cihu Temple is a Mazu worship center in the North Coast area. During the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty, fishermen discovered an approximately 8-inch gold-faced Mazu statue in a sea cave on the Yeliu coast. Later, another Mazu statue was created, and the drifting statue was placed inside the larger one, locally known as "Jinshan Erma." (Editor: Chang Ming-kun) 1150604