Incense and nostalgia are intertwined: when visiting Jinmen, all the sounds are "going home"

China News Service, Tianjin, September 24th. Title: Incense and nostalgia intertwined: When visiting Tianjin, all the sounds are "going home"

China News Service reporter Sun Lingling Zhou Yaqiang

On the 23rd, the 2026 "Cross-Strait Mazu Fate" series of exchange activities came to an end in Tianjin. Thousands of guests gathered on the banks of the Haihe River, and prayer ceremonies, Mazu cultural exchange conferences, academic seminars, themed cruises, intangible cultural heritage markets, and media visits were held one after another.

After six days of visiting and listening, the word "go home" echoed repeatedly in the conversations between compatriots in Tianjin and Taiwan.

In the Tianjin Tianhou Palace, there is a dedicated Taiwan Mazu Hall.

Tianjin's Tianhou Temple, founded in 1326, is known as one of the "three major Mazu temples in the world" together with the Mazu Temple in Meizhou, Fujian and the Chaotian Temple in Beigang, Taiwan. This blessing ceremony for the 700th anniversary of the founding of Thean Hou Temple followed ancient rituals to welcome the gods, burn incense and salute. Representatives from many palaces and temples on the island were present to preside over the ceremony, and the incense was endless.

Wang Yuqing, a young Taiwanese self-media person, made a surprise discovery inside the palace. He raised his mobile phone, pointed the lens at the Taiwanese Mazu statue enshrined in the temple, and introduced it to netizens across the Taiwan Strait: "Did you Taiwanese friends see that there is a Taiwan Mazu Hall in Tianjin Tianhou Palace! I hope that next time you come to the mainland, you will have the opportunity to burn incense for the Taiwan Mazu statue here. Come and see more and walk around more."

The camera slowly panned across the temple, where the ghosts of Mazu from all over Taiwan sat quietly. As early as 1990, Beigang Chaotian Palace and Tianjin Tianhou Palace established a sister palace. The "Four Seas with One Light" plaque hanging in the palace bears witness to this relationship. In 1999, Tianhou Palace specially set up a Taiwan Mazu Hall to allow Mazu's spirits from the treasure island to settle down on the banks of the Haihe River.

Wang Yuqing insisted on releasing the videos shot in mainland China to both sides of the Taiwan Strait simultaneously, adhering to the principle of "one family does not speak the language of two families". In his opinion, this Taiwan Mazu temple has a profound cultural metaphor: the main hall accommodates the sub-halls, retains the original characteristics and inheritance of Taiwan Mazu beliefs and customs, and belongs to the same line of Mazu incense, just like "a big temple accommodates a small temple, and a large family protects a small family."

"In Taiwan, almost everyone knows Mazu, and Mazu's belief also proves that compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait share the same culture and race and are connected by blood." Zhou Xiwei, vice chairman of Taiwan's Want Want Group, also attended the blessing ceremony. He said that Tianjin Tianhou Temple and Mazu temples across Taiwan have similar temperaments and are of the same origin. Worshiping Mazu carries the spirit of fraternity of the Chinese nation and is worthy of being cherished by compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

Haihe River Night Cruise: It’s like nestling in mother’s arms

The Haihe River cruise boat cut through the sparkling waves and slowly passed the Jiefang Bridge, with the lights of the buildings on both sides of the bank spreading out one after another.

Taiwanese media personality Li Xiuyuan leaned on the side of the boat, the autumn night wind blowing on her face. As a native of Tianjin, she last returned to her hometown eight years ago. She passed by the Haihe River but was unable to board the boat. This trip finally fulfilled her wish for a night tour on the Haihe River.

"The night view of the Haihe River is very famous. Here you can understand the changes in scenery and the rich history on both sides of the river." The short one-hour flight made her feel very satisfied. In Li Xiuyuan's eyes, the significance of the Haihe River lies in connection. "The mother river carries cultural heritage. Friends on both sides of the strait chatted about daily life together in the evening breeze. There was no pressure and they were relaxed, just like nestling in the arms of their mother." As the cruise ship progressed, many citizens on the shore waved to the ship, and the warmth that hit her face impressed her deeply.

Old schoolbags bring back childhood memories of crossing the strait

In Qilihai Town, Ninghe District, the "Zhengxin Eighties" B&B recreates the life scenes of the 1980s: the glass counter of the supply and marketing cooperative and the yellowed old posters instantly bring people back to the old days. Taiwanese media person Peng Ke stepped into the neighborhood and his eyes were immediately attracted by an old-fashioned schoolbag.

"This is the schoolbag I carried when I was a child. It makes me feel at ease and feels like going home." Peng Ke visited Tianjin in the 1980s. At that time, she only visited Ancient Culture Street. This was her first time entering the countryside of Tianjin. "The atmosphere is very similar to Penghu, Taiwan, nostalgic and friendly." What impressed her most was the authentic and restored life scenes here, which awakened the common memories of the times.

Fellow Taiwanese media people lamented that childhood memories on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are highly overlapping, "It seems like we have grown up together since childhood."

Oyster omelette is fragrant, and the flavor reflects the nostalgia of both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

At the Jintai Intangible Cultural Heritage Food Market on Ancient Culture Street, the burnt aroma of oyster omelet mixed with the delicious taste of oysters wafts around. Zhang Qiyun, a Taiwanese oyster omelet chef who came all the way from Shanghai, cooked it. While turning the iron plate, he narrated to the onlookers: "This oyster omelet also has a story related to Zheng Chenggong. It is said that when Zheng Chenggong's army fought with the colonists, When they were deprived of food, in order to satisfy their hunger, the oysters that were abundant in Taiwan were fried in sweet potato starch and made into military rations. Later, this delicacy gradually spread to the people and gradually became a well-known flavor in southern Fujian and became a common taste memory for people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. "

Zhou Shenghao, a Taiwanese compatriot living in Beijing, made a special trip to the market after finishing the special blessing ceremony for Taiwanese compatriots at Tianhou Palace, where he unexpectedly met a fellow countryman. A mouthful of hot and fragrant oyster omelet enters the throat, and the long-lost taste of hometown floods into my heart. The person holding the spoon and the diners are all Taiwan compatriots, and they "met old friends in a foreign land" on the bank of Haihe River.

Zhou Shenghao said that oyster omelette has spread across the Taiwan Strait and has been sold in various places, and the taste and recipe have been slightly adjusted. "Whether it's a southern stomach or a northern stomach, in the final analysis, they are all Chinese stomachs." Zhang Qiyun lamented that food can best dissolve distance and bring people closer. "Let food go home first."

Where the wine is fragrant, understand the origins of the same origin

In a wine culture exhibition hall in Ninghe District, compatriots from Tianjin and Taiwan tasted fine wines together and savored the traditional Chinese brewing techniques and wine customs passed down from generation to generation. The exhibition hall cleverly integrated folk culture into the explanation of wine culture. Taiwanese compatriot Zheng Guonan was moved by the exhibition hall's ingenuity in explaining wine customs and repeatedly praised the thoughtfulness.

"Yellow skin cannot be separated from tea and wine!" Zheng Guonan said with emotion, "Although the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are separated by a strait, daily life is always connected. It is easiest to communicate over the wine table." In his view, tea and wine are cultural symbols flowing in the blood of the nation, regardless of north or south. He made a wish to bring more Taiwanese young people to Tianjin next time to experience first-hand the profound wine culture in the north. In a glass of fine wine, he would feel the cultural roots of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.

The taste remembers the way home, the Haihe river remembers the way on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, and the old schoolbag remembers the way to childhood... During the six-day trip, the scenes changed and the stories were different, but the compatriots in Tianjin and Taiwan unanimously expressed their innermost feelings with "going home".