Although Mazu belongs to one of Chinese folk beliefs, it is not an imaginary god, but a real person, a legendary person and a deified person. Her surname is Lin, and her first name is Mo, also known as Mo Niang. She is the daughter of a fisherman in Meizhou. She was born on March 23rd, the first year of Stegosaurus in Song Taizu (AD 960), and on September 9th, the fourth year of Yongxi in Song Taizong (987). It is said that when she ascended to heaven, she told her relatives and friends that "the world is not good" and she ascended to heaven at the age of 28. People miss her and build temples to worship her, calling her "mother" and "Mazu". When she was a child, she was smart, unforgettable and insightful. She often does good deeds, saves people from Shuie Beach, and even "crosses the sea" and "flies over the water". Knowing that she would never marry, she specializes in helping fishermen in distress at sea. She knows water and is good at weather forecasting. People respect her as a "goddess", "dragon girl" and "virtuous girl" and regard her as a "sea god".
There are many fairy tales about her among the people. In the fifth year of Song Xuanhe, the imperial court sent YUNDI to lead a fleet to Korea and the ship arrived in the East China Sea. The weather suddenly changed, and the wind blew hard, and eight ships sank seven. Only a red light suddenly appeared on the masthead of Lu's boat, as if a goddess of Zhu Yi was sitting on it. After that, she took a deep breath and turned the corner. On the boat, Li Zhen, a native of Putian, told Lu that she was the goddess of Meizhou, and Lu also appeared again. Emperor Hui Zong then issued a letter to Mazu and awarded him the title of Shunzhi, which was the first time for the emperor. There are also stories such as "looking for relatives on the plane" and "looking at the well to get the symbol". In the fifty-seventh year of Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty, Mazu, like Confucius, was listed as the highest festival in all parts of the Qing Dynasty-Spring and Autumn Festival, with three kneels and nine knocks. In this way, Mazu spread from the people to the government and was recognized and rewarded by the court. During the hundreds of years from the fifth year of Song Xuanhe (1 123) to the nineteenth year of Qing Daoguang (1839), nineteen emperors of Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing personally praised Mazu for 26 times, and the title was increased from "Shunzhi" to 64 words, and the title was changed from "Madam". The imperial court's heavy meditation finally established Mazu's supreme position as the only "sea god".
With the development of navigation, Mazu belief spread widely, and also spread to Xuwen, a red land rooted in the sea. As for Xu Wen's Mazu, it is a lineal heirloom.
There are more than 20 Mazu Tempel in Xuwen, which come from Xinliao, Hai 'an, Wuli, Jiaowei and the western coastal areas of Shima. Why are there so many Mazu Tempel and Mazu in Putian? The reason is that as early as the Tang Dynasty, the imperial court had "moved Fujian people to Hezhou" (under the jurisdiction of Xuwen and other ancient jurisdictions. ). Later, in the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, Fujian people fled the war, sailed for business, and settled in Xuwen after the expiration of the official term, taking Fujian Putian Mazu to settle in Xuwen. At present, most of the Tianhou Temple in Xuwen's coastal areas have couplets about Putian Mazu, indicating that Mazu is from Putian, Fujian. This is a way of saying. Another way of saying it by Xu Wenmazu is: There is a legend in Wei Jiaotan 'ao village. There was once a fisherman trawling in the sea (commonly known as "moving aunt"), but when he pulled the net, he didn't catch any fish, only a big white stone was caught online. In order to avoid suspicion, the fishermen moved it back to the sea, but when they cast their nets for the second time, they only caught it, but they didn't catch any fish, so they transported it to the sea far from the ground trawl. The third time I trawled the ground, I couldn't catch any fish. In this way, the fisherman is very curious and thinks that this must be a god, and it must be the god who protects the fisherman. The fisherman said to the white stone, "If you are really so smart, you can help us catch fish next time you cast a net, and we will build a temple to worship you." When I cast the net for the fourth time, I really caught a lot of fish, so the fishermen dedicated her and built a temple, which is now the "Queen Mother Temple", commonly known as the "White House". Baishi is still in the "White House (Queen Mother's Hall)", so there is no time to test it. This is the story of "moving the aunt" and the origin of "the White House (the Empress Dowager Hall)". There are three huge white stones in the sea near the front right bank of the "White House (Queen's Temple)", which are tripod-shaped. It is said that these three white stones were entrusted by Mama Temple. Cheng Xiu, the author's grandfather, used these three white stones as piers (commonly known as tripods) and often caught a lot of fish. These three white stones were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. This story is mixed with reality and sounds mysterious, but it shows the psychology of local fishermen praying for peace and seeking to protect it. Therefore, when fishermen are at home, they will go to the "White House (Empress Dowager Hall)" to invite Mazu, light a bunch of incense and pray for peace.
Mazu's kindness to save the world has carried forward the virtues of the Chinese nation.