Ba Thien Hau Temple

The temple is right on the popular Nguyen Trai Street. It is reached by passing via an iron gate and a tiny courtyard. Thien Hau pagoda is created in the “seal” style, a traditional Chinese architectural form. This is a combination of four linked buildings that form a ground similar to the words “mouth” or “nation” (in Chinese). The front hall, middle hall, and back hall are three rows of residences in the center. Between these rows of dwellings, there is a gap known as the “Thien Tinh” (sky well), which allows the pagoda space to be airy, provides enough light for the back hall, and allows incense smoke to escape.

To establish warmth and trust for the visitors, all of the halls are decorated with flowers and bird patterns, as well as parallel phrases that are usually red and yellow. The pagoda also includes a 4-in-a-row continuous mural depicting the “four spirits’” animals. The roof, porch, altars, and walls of the pagoda are additionally adorned with round figures and rich ceramic reliefs…

The temple’s interior is essentially a partially enclosed courtyard, with the shrine to Mazu at the far end. The courtyard’s exposed areas house incense burners and provide access to the roof’s spectacular porcelain dioramas. The dioramas depict scenes from a 19th-century Chinese city, and colorful figures such as actors, demons, animals, and Persian and European sailors and traders are included. In one scene, actors portray a horseback conflict between the novel Three Kingdoms’ famed halberd-wielding general Guan Yu and another fighter. In another scene, the three Taoist Immortal Sages signify longevity, fecundity, and prosperity.

The three Mazu statues dominate the altar to the Goddess. The faces are bronze in tone, as are the robes and crowns. This is what incense burners are all about.