Mazu or Matsu is a Chinese sea goddess also known by several other names and titles. She is the deified form of the legendary figure Lin Mo or Lin Moniang,a Fujianese shamaness whose life span is traditionally dated from 960 to 987. Revered after her death as a tutelary deity of seafarers,including fishermen and sailors,her worship spread throughout China's coastal regions and overseas Chinese communities throughout Southeast Asia and overseas,where some Mazuist temples are affiliated with famous Taiwanese temples. She was thought to roam the seas,protecting her believers through miraculous interventions. She is now generally regarded by her believers as a powerful and benevolent Queen of Heaven. Mazu worship is popular in Taiwan as large numbers of early immigrants to Taiwan were Hoklo people;her temple festival is a major event in the country,with the largest celebrations around her temples at Dajia and Beigang. Under Xi Jinping,Mazu-related pilgrimages have become an avenue for Chinese Communist Party influence operations to promote Chinese unification.
Thian Hock Keng,is a temple built for the worship of Mazu,a Chinese sea goddess,located in Singapore. It is the oldest and most important temple of the Hokkien (Hoklo) people in the country. Another shrine at the back is Buddhist dedicated to Guanyin,the Mahayana Buddhist bodhisattva of mercy.
Putian or Putien,also known as Puyang (莆阳) and Puxian (莆仙),historically known as Xinghua or Hing Hwa,is a prefecture-level city in eastern Fujian province,China. It borders Fuzhou City to the north,Quanzhou City to the south,and the Taiwan Strait's Xinghai Bay to the east. The Mulan River flows through the southern part of the city.
The Beigang International Music Festival is a project of the Beigang Philharmonic Association and takes place in Beigang,Yunlin County,Taiwan. Since its inception in 2006,the festival has grown and developed to become the biggest international music festival in Yunlin County. The festival has a series of concerts,mostly wind music,and an educational program within the Chia-Hu Conservatory. The festival also organizes an intercultural program for musicians from different countries. The artistic director of the Beigang International Music Festival is the pianist Heinz Chen.
Beigang,Hokkō or Peikang is an urban township in Yunlin County,Taiwan. It is primarily known for its Chaotian Temple,one of the most prominent Temples of Mazu on Taiwan. It has a population of 37,763 as of February 2023.
Yongchun is a county in western Quanzhou city of southern Fujian province,People's Republic of China,located on the upper reaches of the Jin River. It is under the administration of Quanzhou City. As of 2009,it had a total population of 558,996 residing in an area of 1,469 square kilometres (567 sq mi).
The Ma-Cho,Mazu or Ma Cho Temple is a Taoist temple to the Chinese Sea-Goddess Mazu located on Quezon Avenue in Barangay II,San Fernando,La Union in the Philippines. It was built in 1977 by a group of Filipino-Chinese devotees under the leadership of Dy Keh Hio and with the support of former Tourism Secretary Jose D. Aspiras.
The Xiluo Guangfu Temple is a prominent Mazu temple in Xiluo Township,Yunlin County,Taiwan.
The Dajia Jenn Lann Temple,also known as the Zhenlan or Mazu Temple,is a temple dedicated to the Chinese Goddess Mazu,the Goddess of Sea and Patron Deity of fishermen,sailors and any occupations related to sea/ocean. The temple is located in the Dajia District of Taichung,Taiwan. It is known for being the start of the Dajia Mazu Pilgrimage,an annual celebration of the sea goddess.
The Tianhou or Mazu Temple is a temple to the Goddess Mazu,the Chinese Goddess of Sea and Patron Deity of fishermen,sailors and any occupations related to sea/ocean. It is located in Xinwu District,Taoyuan City,Taiwan.
The Lukang Tianhou Temple,also known as the Lukang Mazu Temple,is a Chinese temple dedicated to the Chinese Goddess Mazu,the Goddess of Sea and Patron Deity of fishermen,sailors and any occupations related to sea/ocean. The temple is located at 430 Zhongshan Road in Lukang Township,Changhua County,Taiwan. It is one of the island's most famous and popular Mazu temples.
The Baishatun Mazu Pilgrimage is usually held annually between lunar January and April in the western plains of Taiwan,a major Taoist religious event since 1863. After every lunar new year,the Mazu statue of Gongtian Temple at Baishatun,Tongxiao of Miaoli County,is placed in a palanquin and carried in procession to visit another Mazu Temple- Chaotian Temple,located in the area of Beigang of Yunlin County,then returns to Gongtian Temple to end this pilgrimage. The distance covered is approximately 400 km total.
Bengang Tianhou Temple is a temple located in Nangang Village,Xingang Township,Chiayi County,Taiwan. Sitting on the south shore of the Beigang River,the temple is dedicated to Mazu,Goddess of Sea.
Baishatun Gongtian Temple is a temple located in Baishatun,Tongxiao Township,Miaoli County,Taiwan. The temple is dedicated to the sea goddess Mazu,who is the deified form of Lin Moniang. Gongtian Temple is noted for its annual Baishatun Mazu Pilgrimage,where worshippers travel to Chaotian Temple in Beigang,Yunlin on foot.
Dazhuang Haotian Temple is a temple located in Dazhuang,Wuqi District,Taichung,Taiwan. The temple is dedicated to the sea goddess Mazu.
The Dajia Mazu Pilgrimage is an annual celebration of the Taoist sea goddess Mazu held in Taiwan. During the festival,a statue of Mazu is placed in a litter and carried by foot on a round-trip journey from Jenn Lann Temple in Dajia,Taichung to Fengtian Temple in Xingang,Chiayi,stopping at many more temples along the way. The festival lasts for nine days and attracts large crowds of pilgrims,who travel alongside the litter.
Xingang Fengtian Temple,sometimes romanized as Fongtian Temple,is a temple located in Xingang Township,Chiayi County,Taiwan. The temple is a county-level monument and the destination of the annual Dajia Mazu Pilgrimage.
Chen Jinggu is a Chinese protective goddess of women,children,and pregnancy,and is believed by her worshippers to be a former Taoist priestess. She is also known as Lady Linshui.
