Mazu legend Mazu was born in Putian, Fujian.

10, we came to Ligang Village, Putian, Fujian, which is also called Xianliang Port. The village is surrounded by mountains and seas, solemn and quiet, because a goddess-like figure-Mazu has become a place where tourists flock. On the west side of Linmeimei Village, where hands are rejuvenated, in front of an ordinary house with Putian residential characteristics, a big banyan tree has experienced vicissitudes. It seems to tell people that a baby girl was born here in the first year of the Stegosaurus in the Northern Song Dynasty, on the 23rd day of the third lunar month. She stopped crying and remained silent for several months, and her parents named her Maureen. The old Lins' house was rebuilt on the original site, with a small area. It is divided into three entrances, inside and outside, with a hall in the middle and rooms on both sides. The upper room on the left belongs to Maureen's parents, the lower room belongs to my elder sister-in-law, and the room opposite my elder sister-in-law is Maureen's boudoir. Maureen has a brother and sister. Originally, parents asked Guanyin to send their children, but at night, mother Lin dreamed that Guanyin sent me a beautiful flower, saying it would be a surprise to swallow it, and as a result, she gave birth to a "sister Lin" who didn't cry. But when Sister Lin doesn't talk, she is clever and clever when she opens her mouth. I entered school at the age of eight, reading and reciting. Like medical treatment, proficient in learning, walking in the countryside, anxious about people, saving lives, and soon became the parents of a famous girl in Shiliba Village. The narrator Xiaolin vividly tells the story and legend of Sister Lin, holding a gesture in his hand, which makes us laugh from time to time. She took us to a room and said it was Lin Xiaomei's knitting room. She is intelligent and versatile. Legend has it that while knitting, she is also concerned about the safety of her relatives at sea. On one occasion, she closed her eyes, with a shuttle in her mouth and a loom in her hand; At this moment, my mother came in and patted her. When she opened her eyes, the shuttle fell to the ground. It turned out that Sister Lin was trying to rescue her father and brother in distress. Unexpectedly, when her mother took a picture of her, the shuttle dropped and her brother fell into the sea. The ancestral temple of Empress Neptune became the goddess of the sea. Not far from the east of her former residence, it was originally the Lin ancestral hall, dedicated to Lin ancestors. The history of the Lins can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Maureen's great-grandfather, Lin Baoji, served as the commander-in-chief of the army in the latter Zhou Dynasty, then resigned and returned to his hometown to live in seclusion. Grandfather and father are also local officials. On the wall of the ancestral hall, there is a string of inheritance tables of dozens of generations of Lin. The sea is unfathomable, the wind and waves are ruthless, and fishermen frequently go to sea in distress. Young Maureen is good at water, sailing like a fly, and volunteered to undertake the task of rescue at sea. Where there is a cry for help, there is a woman at sea, and countless fishermen have been saved by her. Legend has it that once, it was dark, the wind was blowing hard, and the black waves were raging, so that ships at sea could not enter the port. After hearing the news, Miss Lin set fire to her house and let the raging fire lead the boat. The woman was killed in a rescue at sea. When the news came, the villagers were heartbroken, and no one believed that she had really left. They prefer to believe that 28-year-old Maureen ascended to heaven and became a sea god. Mazu, the goddess, has been praised by people for thousands of years from Putian to Fujian, and then to the coastal areas of China and overseas. So far, there are more than 6,000 temples in 28 countries and regions dedicated to her! From Song Dynasty to Qing Dynasty, emperors praised her 36 times, from his wife to Tian Fei, from Tianhou to our Tianhou. Every spring, on Mazu's birthday, a sacrificial ceremony will be held in Xianliang Port. Tens of thousands of believers have participated in recent years, which is unprecedented. The custom of "Mazu going back to her mother's home", together with other Mazu beliefs and customs, has been included in the UN World Intangible Cultural Heritage! With the promotion of Mazu's status, Lin's ancestral hall was renamed Tianhou Palace, with the back hall still dedicated to Lin's ancestors and the front hall dedicated to Mazu. Kobayashi pointed to the statue of Mazu in the front hall and said, This is a statue of the Song Dynasty. Its shape is similar to that of a real person. No matter what the title of the emperor is.

The banner reads "the origin of Mazu culture" and is also marked "Taichung City Community Planning and Cultural Creation Society". They said that in Taiwan Province province, Mazu believers account for two-thirds of the total. Every year when they worship, they carry the statue of Mazu, and within a few days, hundreds of thousands of people follow them, regardless of party, age, sex, or even the chairman of the Kuomintang, or they don't vote for him. They are very happy to seek roots in Mazu's hometown, and invited us to participate in their sacrificial activities and academic exchanges in Taiwan Province Province. Between the ancestral hall and the former residence, a new Tianhou Palace covering an area of 2,000 square meters is unique in the village. Its story is legendary: Ms. Huang Xiuqing, an Indonesian overseas Chinese, dreamed of Mazu at night, and Mazu said that her old house was shabby and needed help. After Huang Xiuqing went, he found that Xianliang Port was similar to his dream and donated 2.42 million yuan. The 6.06-meter-high statue of Mazu in Tianhou Palace carved by Nanmu was also donated by Ms. Huang. Mazu has become the spiritual bond between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait and overseas Chinese! Lian Zugu's great love climbed up the back hill along a path. A tall statue of Mazu stands on the mountain, facing the sea, dignified and holy, and still looks like a young woman. The night pearl in the right hand shines obliquely at the sunset, illuminating the way home for the lost fishermen. Looking closely at Mazu's clothes and manners, it is suspected that Guanyin came down to earth. I will ask my colleague Lin, who is the chairman of the ancestral committee. His answer is very interesting: Guanyin is Mazu's master! Oh, how clever the imagination is. The trajectory of a fishing village daughter becoming a sea god is very clear: Guanyin sends her daughter to rejuvenate, save her life at sea, and ascend to heaven as a teacher. Standing on the mountain, you can see Meizhou Island across the strait, where Mazu ascended to heaven. I have been there a few years ago, where the incense in Mazu Tempel is very prosperous, and pilgrims in Taiwan Province Province are in droves. Teacher Chen Tianyu, who has been accompanying us, is an expert on Mazu culture in Putian College. He said that Mazu is a rare person who believes in the unity of man and god. She has both a real intimate side and an imaginary perfect side, so her influence is so profound and lasting. When I bid farewell to Xianliang Port, I learned that Chairman Lin and commentator Kobayashi were volunteers. Lin used to be in the timber business, but he gave up a few years ago. After he came back, he concentrated on management services without any reward. Xiao Lin is a "white-collar" of a company. He volunteered to be a translator. There are many volunteers like Old Lin Xiaolin in Xianliang Port, and there are hundreds of volunteers during the big sacrifice. The villagers in Lianggang regard themselves as descendants of Mazu's eldest brother, calling Mazu "Zugu", willingly guarding this sacred land and practicing Zugu's great kindness and love.