The Tianhou Palace came into existence before the city of Qingdao. The Qingdao Tianhou Palace was first built in the third year of the Chenghua reign period of the Ming Dynasty (1467), and it has a history of over 500 years. It is the oldest existing architectural complex of brick and wood structures from the Ming and Qing Dynasties in the urban area of Qingdao and is a provincial-level key cultural relics protection unit.

When it was initially completed over 500 years ago, the Tianhou Palace consisted of the Hall of the Holy Mother with three rooms and two side halls dedicated to the Dragon King and the God of Wealth. Later, it underwent seven renovations and expansions during the Ming Dynasty, Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China period. In 1996, the Qingdao Municipal Government carried out a comprehensive restoration of it and turned it into the "Qingdao Folk Custom Museum".