Mazu: The Young Woman and the Sea

Today, we’ll talk about Mazu, the costal protector and Chinese goddess of the sea who has become a global icon of Chinese heritage, linking millions worldwide through faith, commemoration, and maritime culture. 

Transcript

Mazu: The Young Woman and the Sea

Today, we’ll talk about Mazu, the costal protector and Chinese goddess of the sea who has become a global icon of Chinese heritage, linking millions worldwide through faith, commemoration, and maritime culture.  

On March 29, 2025, the first day of the third month in the Chinese lunar calendar, the “Mazu’s Return to Her Ancestral Home” ceremony was held at the Mazu Ancestral Temple on Meizhou Island in Putian, Fujian Province, Southeast China. More than 110 Mazu cultural groups from China and abroad, along with nearly 10,000 guests, gathered to celebrate the grand event.

Mazu was originally named Lin Mo, born on Meizhou Island in 960. According to legend, she was exceptionally intelligent from a young age, well-versed in astronomy and a strong swimmer. She was known on the island for helping fishers and merchant ships in distress at sea. At 27, she perished while attempting to rescue the survivors of a shipwreck.

Due to her repeated divine interventions at sea, she came to be revered as the sea goddess. Mazu’s birthday is believed to fall on the 23rd day of the third lunar month (which arrives on April 20 this year), a time when believers from around the world journey to Meizhou Island to pay their respects.

Built upon her death in 987, the Mazu Ancestral Temple is the world’s first dedicated to Mazu. Over the centuries, many other temples were built around the world, known as “spirit splits.” These new temples obtain their spiritual power from Meizhou’s temple. Through rituals, a newly sculpted statue of Mazu is granted divine power, making it a spiritual extension of the original. However, these “spirit split” statues must periodically return to Meizhou for rituals to recharge their spiritual strength.

Today, more than 10,000 Mazu temples from various dynasties remain preserved across over 50 countries and regions. For Mazu followers, the Meizhou Ancestral Temple is regarded as the “mother temple” of all spirit splits. From late January to late March, 438 Mazu cultural groups comprising more than 780,000 followers had gathered on Meizhou Island to pay tribute.

Mazu is also the first Chinese deity to be issued a national ID, allowing her statue to have rail and airline tickets booked through real-name systems while being transported for religious events. The practice is more culturally symbolic: A fusion of tradition and modernity, personifying Mazu in this way aims to strengthen believers’ sense of belonging while revitalizing traditional culture in a modern context. 

The “Mazu’s Return to Her Ancestral Home” event is an important part of the intangible cultural heritage of Mazu worship. Since 2008, the Meizhou Ancestral Temple has hosted this grand event annually, with this year marking Mazu’s 1,065th birthday. The celebration featured over a dozen intangible cultural heritage exhibits, including Mazu offerings, traditional Meizhou women’s headwear and garments, model ship building and Mazu cake making at the Tianfei (Mazu) Hometown Ruins Park, located two kilometers from the temple. The wide range of displays attracted pilgrims and tourists alike, offering an immersive experience of Mazu culture.

As the birthplace of Mazu culture, Putian is actively developing to be a center of Mazu culture, launching initiatives to preserve worship traditions and preparing for the 10th World Mazu Culture Forum, slated for December 2025.

In Putian, there’s a saying: “We dare not lie in front of Mazu.” It reflects the deep reverence and awe that local people feel toward the sea goddess, so much that some police stations in Putian have “Mazu Arbitration Rooms.” At Licheng police station in Xianyou County, for example, one room has a statue of Mazu, creating a solemn, spiritual atmosphere. When neighbors or villagers are in a deadlocked dispute, both parties are invited into the room. The mediator begins by asking everyone to bow to Mazu before proceeding with the negotiation.

In one case, two neighboring families nearly came to blows over a property boundary dispute. They brought the matter to the Mazu Arbitration Room, where both sides initially stood firm. But when the mediator asked, “Do you dare speak the truth in front of Mazu?” one man hesitated. Eventually, he admitted to having shifted the boundary marker slightly to expand his yard. Under Mazu’s gaze, he acknowledged his wrongdoing and agreed to correct it. The families reconciled peacefully.

These rooms have proven highly effective in resolving conflicts, from family disagreements to land and labor disputes. The success rate is strikingly high, perhaps because participants fear not only the law, but also divine judgment.

Even the courts have found inspiration in this approach. In one civil case involving a loan, the plaintiff and defendant told conflicting stories, and there was no written contract or receipt. The judge, out of options, brought a Mazu statue into the courtroom and asked the defendant to swear the truth in front of her. The man began to sweat and was visibly shaken. After a long pause, he confessed to borrowing the money, saying he was not afraid of legal consequences, but feared Mazu’s divine punishment.

In Putian, Mazu belief is a way of life. Temples big and small dot the city, each alive with incense smoke and whispered prayers. Every morning, worshippers arrive to bow, burn incense and pray for peace, good health and happiness. Some families even keep Mazu statues at home, making offerings in the morning and evening, especially during festivals.

And older generations are not alone in keeping traditions alive, as more young people in Putian are embracing Mazu culture. Some find inspiration and comfort in joining the Mazu procession events on Meizhou Island. Others participate in cultural institutions or help organize folk festivals and religious exchanges, seeking ways to make Mazu traditions relevant in a modern world.

During this year’s “Mazu’s Return to Her Ancestral Home” celebration, young faces were everywhere, offering incense, performing in folk troupes and volunteering at events. The Mazu Ancestral Temple on Meizhou Island now has over 30 staff members born after the year 2000. Lin Jinzan, chairman of the temple’s board of directors, said the temple will continue encouraging young believers to take the lead in preserving and promoting Mazu traditions.

The spread of Mazu culture has a long and far-reaching history. Originating in Putian, it gradually expanded along China’s southeastern coast and followed Chinese migrants to communities around the world. Since the Song Dynasty, lasting from 960 to 1279, as maritime trade flourished along the ancient Maritime Silk Road, Mazu worship traveled with merchants and sailors. Before setting sail, they prayed to Mazu, seeking her blessing for a safe voyage across treacherous seas. In the Ming Dynasty, lasting from 1368 to 1644, famed explorer Zheng He is said to have held grand ceremonies honoring Mazu before each of his seven expeditions (from 1405-1433) to Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean, rituals that believers say helped him avoid storms and navigate dangerous reefs.

Over time, Mazu worship came to represent more than maritime protection, becoming a powerful cultural symbol and spiritual support for coastal communities. Today, Mazu temples are central gathering places throughout southeastern China. On Mazu’s birthday and Ascension Day (the ninth day of the ninth lunar month), grand temple fairs draw crowds for folk performances like dragon and lion dances, traditional opera and street processions.

On March 29, 2025, two statues of Mazu departed from Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport on a six-day cultural exchange trip to Taiwan. Hundreds of years ago, immigrants from the Chinese mainland brought Mazu worship to Taiwan, where she came to be known as the Sea Goddess. Today, Taiwan is home to over 10 million believers and more than 800 temples are devoted to her.

Li Guoying, an executive with the Chinese Mazu Cultural Exchange Association, told The Context that Mazu worship embodies shared values cherished on both sides of the Taiwan Strait and remains a vital thread of national identity. “It demonstrates remarkable cultural appeal and cohesive power, exerting a profound inspirational and guiding influence,” he said. The shared heritage of Mazu fosters mutual understanding and a sense of kinship that transcends political divisions, he added.

Mazu statues are found across Fujian Province in white, gold and pink hues, colors said to reflect her divine aura. But one statue stands apart. 

Legend has it that the famed black-faced Mazu of Meizhou Island was originally housed in Chaotian Pavilion inside the Mazu Ancestral Temple. During its transfer to the Lugang Mazu Temple in Taiwan by ship, worshippers, worried about the statue being damaged by sea air, placed it inside the ship’s cabin. While on the trip, incense offerings darkened its surface. Far from being seen as damaged, the soot-stained face came to symbolize Mazu’s spiritual power and protective presence. This story contributed to the widespread development of Mazu culture, not just in Taiwan, but around the world.

Mazu is one of the most titled figures in Chinese history, having received 36 honorary titles from emperors over the centuries, including “Heavenly Consort” and “Heavenly Empress.” Her worship spread not only through Fujian and Southeast China but across Southeast Asia, becoming one of the most enduring folk beliefs in the Chinese cultural sphere. 

Beyond its spiritual function, Mazu culture serves as a cultural bridge connecting overseas Chinese communities. Temples dedicated to her can be found in Southeast Asia, Japan, South Korea, the US and other countries. In Malaysia, annual Mazu processions attract both believers and tourists. In Singapore, Thian Hock Keng is a prominent Mazu temple that serves both as a place of worship and a symbol of Chinese heritage.

Lin Ziying, chairman of Singapore’s Hin Ann Thain Hiaw Keng, another important Mazu temple, recalled the procession in 2017, when a golden statue from Meizhou toured Singapore. “The streets were packed,” he told The Context, “and many elderly Chinese welcomed her with tears in their eyes, holding incense and candles.” The emotional response, he said, captured how Mazu’s presence resonates across generations and borders. “Our pilgrimage to Meizhou is not just about tradition,” he added, “but a heartfelt return to our cultural roots.”

In 2009, UNESCO added Mazuism to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The designation recognizes the richness of its rituals, legends, folk art and maritime traditions passed down through generations.

Today, Mazu culture serves as an invisible cultural bridge in the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, linking China with the rest of the world. It not only promotes economic and trade exchanges but also enhances cultural dialogue and mutual understanding.

Well, that’s the end of our podcast. Our theme music is by the famous film score composer Roc Chen. We want to thank our writer Lü Weitao, translator Du Guodong, and copy editor JT. And thank you for listening. We hope you enjoyed it, and if you did, please tell a friend so they, too, can understand The Context.