Meizhou Island


Meizhou Island, Meichow; Meichou, is a small island close to the coast of Asia. Meizhou Town is an administrative unit of Xiuyu District, Putian, Fujian, China. It is known for being the birthplace of the goddess Mazu. Meizhou has 38,000 inhabitants, most of whom are involved in the fishing industry. The local language spoken is Pu-Xian Min.

History

An open provincial tourism economic region since June 1988, in April 1992 Meizhou Island introduced a landing visa policy for visitors from Taiwan. In October of the same year it became a national tourism-vacation region. The island was formally opened to visitors from overseas in October 1999.
Annually, some 100,000 Taiwanese pilgrims come to Meizhou to see the place where Matsu once lived, some of whom visit every year.

Administration

Meizhou Island is administered by Meizhou Town, an area that is divided into 11 villages:
along with three others.

Geography

Located in the northern part of the mouth of Meizhou Bay, Meizhou Island covers an area of and measures north-south, and east-west. The beach runs for around.

Tourist attractions

The Heavenly Empress Palace-Meizhou Ancestral Temple began as a small shrine soon after Matsu's death in the 10th century. It has now been renovated and greatly enlarged to accommodate pilgrims.