Mazu of Wushi

Mazu of Wushi

Mazu of Wushi is located on Ziwēi Mountain in Gǔjiāng, Jiùzhèn Town. Mazu, originally named Lín Mòniáng, was born on the 23rd day of the third lunar month in the first year of the Jianlong era of the Song Dynasty (960 AD) in Mèizhōu, Pútián. It is said that from her birth until she was one month old, she never cried, hence the name “Mòniáng” (“Silent Girl”). Mòniáng was intelligent from a young age. At the age of 8, she began studying under a teacher, quickly grasping the meanings of texts and becoming proficient in medicine. She treated illnesses for the common people and provided medical aid to fishermen, earning their deep respect. On the ninth day of the ninth lunar month in the fourth year of the Yongxi era (987 AD), at the age of 28, Lín Mòniáng ascended to heaven on Mèizhōu Island. To commemorate her, a temple was built on the island that very year. Legend has it that Mazu often appeared to protect ships, save those in maritime disasters, and was thus worshipped as the Goddess of the Sea. During the Ming Dynasty, the three treasure eunuchs including Zhèng Hé undertook seven voyages to the Western Seas, and during the Qing Dynasty, General Shī Láng advanced into Táiwān—both credited Mazu with divine assistance. As tales of Mazu’s miracles spread, successive dynasties from the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing bestowed honors upon her, totaling 28 times. Her divine titles evolved from “Holy Consort,” “Heavenly Consort,” and “Heavenly Empress,” eventually becoming “Heavenly Sacred Mother.” Mazu temples can now be found across China’s harbors, docks, and river ports, as well as in Southeast Asia, North and South America, Japan, and elsewhere. Just in Táiwān Province, there are nearly a thousand Mazu temples, making her a guardian deity for both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

The skin tone of Mazu statues comes in three colors: pink, gold, and black. Pink represents Mazu’s expression in life, gold symbolizes her enlightened state, and black depicts her during rescue missions. The black statue is respectfully called “Wūmiàn Mazu” (“Black-Faced Mazu”) in Fujian and Taiwan. The ancestral Mazu temple is the Tianhou Palace on Mèizhōu, where the very first foundational Mazu statue was carved from black agarwood in the second year of the Xianping era of the Song Dynasty (999 AD), over a thousand years ago. It is the oldest known Mazu statue in the world. But how did this statue come to be enshrined in the Wushi Tianhou Palace in Zhāngpǔ? It turns out to be the will of Mazu herself, and there is a touching story behind it. Lín Shǐzhāng, a three-time Grand Secretary of the Ming Dynasty and Minister of Rites in Nánjīng, hailed from Wushi in Zhāngpǔ and was a top imperial scholar (Jinshi). It is said that when Lín Shǐzhāng was on his way to the capital for the imperial exams, he encountered a young flower-selling woman blocking the path on Luòyáng Bridge in Quánzhōu. She demanded that he compose a poem or match a couplet before she would let him pass. Pointing to the embroidered flowers on her shoes, she said: “Flowers of chrysanthemum embroidered on the shoe tip, trampled upon dew every dawn yet never bloom.” Lín Shǐzhāng could not respond at once and hesitated, when suddenly a cool breeze blew, and the woman vanished without a trace. Later, when he took the exams in the capital, he passed as a Jinshi, and during the palace examination in the midst of summer, Emperor Jiajing fanned himself and posed a couplet: “Plum blossom painted on a fan, shaken by wind daily yet branches never move.” Lín Shǐzhāng recalled the strange encounter and immediately answered: “Flowers of chrysanthemum embroidered on the shoe tip, trampled upon dew every dawn yet never bloom.” The emperor praised, “Well answered, though a bit too flowery. You truly have the talent of a top scholar.” Lín Shǐzhāng quickly knelt down to thank the emperor and thus ranked as the third top scholar. From then on, he received numerous official promotions. When Lín Shǐzhāng returned home to visit family, he stopped by the Tianhou Palace in Mèizhōu to pray and was struck by the resemblance between the woman on the bridge and Mazu, realizing she had been the goddess in disguise helping him. In the ninth year of the Wanli era (1581), when he retired, he went specifically to Mèizhōu to worship Mazu and brought back the first black-faced Mazu statue. He built a temple to enshrine her, which has been worshipped to this day and is known as “Wushi Mazu.”

Lín Shǐzhāng (1524–1600), styled Défěi, also known as Bìdōng, was a native of Wushi in Gǔjiāng, Jiùzhèn, Zhāngpǔ. Born in the third year of the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty (1524), he became a Jinshi in the 38th year of Jiajing (1559), ranking third in the first class of the palace examination—making him the only person from Zhāngpǔ County to receive such an honor, and one of only five in the entire Zhangzhou Prefecture. He served as a Hanlin Academy editor, academic head of the Imperial Colleges in Beijing and Nánjīng, Vice Minister of Rites with additional roles as Hanlin lecturers and lecture officials, and eventually Minister of Rites in Nánjīng. He was known for his integrity, humility, and respect for scholars. In the ninth year of the Wanli era (1581), he retired and built Chángqiáo City north of Zhāngpǔ, where he lived for twenty years until his death in the 28th year of Wanli (1600) at the age of 77. He was granted an imperial funeral. In recent years, Taiwanese compatriots from his ancestral home of Wushi donated funds to rebuild the Wushi Tianhou Palace, memorial archways, and two grand halls, which complement the nearby Zǐwēi Temple. The scenic area is rich in cultural relics, including the Zǐwēi Cave and Zǐwēi Academy, where nine Jinshi and seven Jǔrén from the Jiajing to Wanli eras studied, as well as the Wénchāng Pavilion. There is also the Xiè Ān Temple built in the Tang Dynasty. Nearby is the provincial-level cultural relic, the Hǎiyún Ancestral Temple of the Lín clan in Wushi. The Wushi Tianhou Palace, centered around Mazu culture, serves as a bridge for close exchanges between people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait and is a popular pilgrimage and tourist destination.

Lín Mò, also known as Mòniáng, is affectionately called “Gūmā” (“Auntie”), “Niángmā” (“Mother”), or “Mazu” by the people. She was from Pútián.

Born on the 23rd day of the third lunar month in the first year of the Jianlong era (960 AD) in a family of officials on Mèizhōu Isle, Pútián County. From birth until she was one month old, she never cried, hence she was named “Mò” (“Silent”) and also called “Mòniáng.” Her great-grandfather Bǎojí served as a military commander in the Zhou Dynasty but resigned and lived in seclusion on Mèizhōu. Her grandfather Fú inherited the family merit and served as the Fujian Regional Commander. Her father Yuán was a coastal patrol inspector in Fujian during the early Song Dynasty. Mòniáng was exceptionally intelligent. By the age of 8, while studying under a private tutor, she could already grasp the gist of texts. As she grew older, she enjoyed chanting scriptures and worshipping Buddha. She... [More details on Lín Mò]

Jiùzhèn Town: A town under the jurisdiction of Zhāngpǔ County. Established as Dūnzhào Town in the first year of Yuányòu during the Northern Song Dynasty (1086), it was called Jiùzhèn during the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty, and became Jiùzhèn Commune in 1958 before being restored as a town in 1984. Located in the southern part of the county, on the northern bank of Jiùzhèn Port, it covers an area of 104 square kilometers with a population of 670,000. The Niújiù Line and the Zhāng (pǔ)–Shà (mén) and Zhāng (pǔ)–Yún (xiāo) highways intersect here. Jiùzhèn Port serves as a window for trade with Táiwān. The town administers the Jiùzhèn Neighborhood Committee and the villages of Jiùchéng, Chéngwài, Hòudài, Méizhú, Méizhái, Gānlín, Línměi, Shíqiáo, Qīnxī, Guōcuò, Yuànshàng, Shāndōu, Wūjiāng, Hòulǒng, Dōngcuò, Yùcuò, Shàngcài, Zhàinèi... [More details on Jiùzhèn Town]