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The Tianhou Temple in Taipei, commonly known as the "Mazu Temple in Ximending", is a temple dedicated to Mazu, the sea guardian deity. The temple is currently located on Chengdu Road in Wanhua District, Taipei, Taiwan. It was originally built in 1746 by merchants (then known as the Xinxing Temple) and was one of the three major temples in the area during the Qing dynasty, along with the Longshan Temple and the Zushi Temple. In 1943, the temple was demolished to make way for the expansion of Xiyuan Road, and the Mazu statue was temporarily relocated to the Longshan Temple. In 1948, the statue was moved to the site of the former Hongfa Temple on the north side of Chengdu Road, near the intersection with Xining South Road. The Hongfa Temple was originally built by the Japanese during the Japanese colonial period, but was destroyed by fire after the war. The new temple was rebuilt and renamed the "Taiwan Province Tianhou Temple", and was later renamed the "Taipei Tianhou Temple". Mazu is revered as a sea guardian deity. In the early days of Taiwan, the ocean was a vital source of livelihood, and many people crossed the sea from the southeastern coast to Taiwan for settlement. As a result, temples were often built near ports and harbor entrances, with the temple entrance facing the opposite shore, in the hope of ensuring the safety of fishermen and immigrants. The temple has an ancient bell on the dragon side of the entrance, which was cast in 1792 (Dingwei, 57th year of the Qianlong Emperor) in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, with the inscription "Xinxing Temple". On the tiger side of the entrance is an "Eight Immortals Incense Burner Traveling Palace Shrine, Eight Immortals Lotus Wood Candles", which was originally a shrine of the Xinxing Temple, crafted by a master from Tangshan in 1820. Since 1973, the Kongo Peak Temple in Koya, Japan, and the Tokyo Separate Temple have taken turns dispatching high-ranking monks to the Taipei Tianhou Temple every October to December to hold a pilgrimage ceremony. The main deity of the Taipei Tianhou Temple is Mazu, and the companion deity is the Hongfa Master. The Taipei Tianhou Temple is the only temple in Taiwan that worships the Hongfa Master, which attracts many Japanese tourists to visit.