The Meichou pilgrimage symbolizes a return to roots and a linking with the centuries of worship that have taken place at the original temple; the pilgrimage of Taiwan's pioneering Matsu draws its vitality from the crossing of the sea and the development of Taiwan's interior by early settlers. Both have their historical significance.
湄洲進香，象徵溯源追本，銜續和祖廟的千年香火；而向開台媽的進香，則是移民渡海，在往內陸墾拓後的飲水思源，其實各有歷史意義。