Baishatun Mazu pilgrimage listed as national cultural asset

Miaoli County’s Baishatun Mazu incense-offering pilgrimage was designated a national intangible cultural asset by the Council for Cultural Affairs March 6.

“The selection committee unanimously agreed to give the event this honor,” said CCA Minister Emile Chih-jen Sheng, adding that Gong Tian Temple, where the statue of the Mazu deity is enshrined, is tasked with preserving the tradition.

The incense-offering pilgrimage, which is at least 170 years old, is the longest of its kind in Taiwan, covering nearly 400 kilometers and traversing the four municipalities of Miaoli, Taichung, Changhua and Yunlin. The route is determined according to a decree from the deity and differs from year to year, temple officials said.

Sheng noted that the Baishatun ritual is the fifth folk tradition in Taiwan to be certified as a national intangible cultural asset.

The pilgrimage is expected to reach its destination in Beigang, Yunlin County, March 8 and return to Miaoli March 14.

In recent years, the Baishatun Mazu website has provided GPS updates during the pilgrimage so that web visitors can track its progress in real time.

(Source: Taiwan Today)