Mazu Ancestral Hall, Ancestral hall in Xianliang Port, Putian, China

Mazu Ancestral Hall is a temple in Gangli devoted to the goddess of seafarers and displaying traditional Chinese architecture with carved details throughout. The building features multiple courtyards and rooms containing offering tables, wooden carvings, and stone inscriptions.

The shrine was founded in the late imperial period to honor Mazu and the Lin family ancestors. Over time it grew into an important center for seafarers from the region who revered the goddess as their protector.

The hall serves as a gathering place where the local community honors Mazu while remembering their own ancestors through shared worship. Visitors can observe how incense smoke rises through the space as people pray at the altars.

Visitors should wear comfortable clothing and be ready to remove shoes at the entrances, as is common in many temples. The shrine is most active in the early morning when believers offer prayers and gifts at the altars.

The hall keeps a Song-dynasty soft-bodied lacquered statue of Mazu, venerated alongside images of her parents. It also preserves the Qianlong emperor's imperially commissioned "Chifeng Tianhou Zhi," a text confirming the shrine's official standing. Pilgrims bound for Meizhou Island stop here first to perform an ancestral rite before crossing from Gangli pier to the Meizhou Mazu Temple for the "cutting the fire" ritual.