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Mazu is a goddess worshipped in China, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia.
Mazu, also known by several other names and titles, is a Chinese sea goddess. She is the deified form of the purported historical 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. 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. Mazuism is popular in Taiwan as the majority of Taiwanese are of Fujianese descent; her temple festival is a major event in the region, with the largest celebrations around her temples at Dajia and Beigang.
Mazu may also refer to:
- Matsu Islands, also spelled Mazu
- Mazu Daoyi (709–788), master of Chan Buddhism
- Mazu (TV series) , 2012 Chinese mythology fantasy television series starring Liu Tao, Stephen Wong Ka-lok, and Yan Kuan
The Matsu Islands are a minor archipelago of 36 islands and islets in the East China Sea administered as Lienchiang County under streamlined Fujian Province, Republic of China (Taiwan). It is the smallest county in the ROC free area.
Mazu Daoyi (709–788) was an influential abbot of Chan Buddhism during the Tang dynasty. The earliest recorded use of the term "Chan school" is from his Extensive Records. Master Ma's teaching style of "strange words and extraordinary actions" became paradigmatic Zen lore.
Mazu is a 2012 mythology fantasy television series directed by Lu Qi and starring Liu Tao, Stephen Wong Ka-lok, and Yan Kuan. The television series also stars Roy Liu, Wei Zongwan, Zhao Hongfei, Coffee Lü, and Ruby Lin. It is based on the Chinese myths of Mazu.
