Meizhou Island 湄洲岛

About Meizhou Island

The island’s coastal landscape gives that devotion a visible setting: boats, beaches and weathered shoreline rocks frame the visit. At the southern end, Ewei’s sea-eroded formations provide a contrasting stop beyond the temple hill. Arrange the cross-island journey separately and leave room for the mainland ferry connection at the end of the day.

The island's Mazu shrine, the Tianhou Palace or Meizhou Ancestral Temple (天后宮湄洲祖廟), began as a small shrine soon after Mazu's death in the 10th century and was later renovated and considerably enlarged to accommodate growing numbers of pilgrims. In 1992 the State Council approved Meizhou as a national tourism-vacation region (国家旅游度假区), and in 2012 it was listed as a national AAAA scenic area (国家AAAA级风景名胜区).

Meizhou lies at the mouth of Meizhou Bay, about 3 kilometres from the mainland, and is Putian's second-largest island. It covers a land area of 14.35 square kilometres, has a population of about 40,500 across eleven villages, and an average annual temperature of 21 degrees Celsius. Its coastline runs for about 30.4 kilometres and includes thirteen stretches of golden sand beach and roughly five kilometres of sea-eroded rock formations. More than 300,000 Taiwanese pilgrims travel to the ancestral temple each year, and the island holds the titles Cross-Strait Exchange Base (海峡两岸交流基地) and China Overseas Chinese International Cultural Exchange Base (中国华侨国际文化交流基地).

What to look for

• Mazu Ancestral Temple and its pilgrimage setting on the temple hill.
• The sea-eroded rock formations at Ewei on the southern tip.

Location & getting there

Getting to Meizhou Island

Use Wenjia passenger terminal on the mainland for the ferry to Meizhou Island. After landing, arrange island transport for the temple or southern Ewei area and confirm the return ferry before travelling to the far end of the island.