Mazu does exist in history. Mazu is Maureen, a descendant of Jiumu Forest in Putian, Fujian.
The earliest historical materials are recorded in the Reconstruction of Shunji Temple in Shengdun Temple written by Liao Pengfei in Shaoxing in the Southern Song Dynasty, which reads: Goddess handed down from generation to generation. Lin, a native of Meizhou Island, can predict people's fate. In the fifth year of Xuanhe, he sent Lu to Korea and the East China Sea. The value of wind and waves is turbulent, which affects eight in infancy and seven in drowning. Taking a boat in a private office, the goddess climbing a pillar like dancing, and Russia winning economic peace all prove that there are real people in history.
Qingyuan Army in Nantang was born in Meizhou, Putian County. Fu Lin, Mazu's grandfather, was born in Putian and is the official manager of Fujian. Putian people visited the capital in the early Song Dynasty. Before she was born, her parents burned incense and prayed to heaven. The night before the baby girl was born, people nearby saw the meteor turn red. The sky in the northwest is too dazzling, and the rocks on the island are all red. So parents think that this baby girl is born strangely and loves her more. Because she never cried from birth to the third month, her name is Maureen, her parents call her Mo Niang, and people respectfully call her Moline Niang.
Maureen was cleverer than other sisters when she was young. When he was eight years old, he began to study with his teacher. He can not only read aloud, but also understand the meaning of words. When she grows up, she is determined to do good deeds and help others all her life. She is determined not to get married. Her parents obeyed her wishes. She is devoted to charity and public welfare. She always studies medical theory, treats people and teaches people to prevent and eliminate disasters. Everyone praised her. She is gentle and helpful. Constantly solving disputes for villagers, often guiding people to seek good fortune and avoid evil. When people encounter difficulties, they are willing to discuss with her and ask her for help.
Maureen grew up by the sea. She is familiar with astronomy, meteorology and water. There are many reefs in the strait between Meizhou Island and the mainland. Fishing boats and merchant ships wrecked in this sea area are often rescued by Maureen, so it is said that she can cross the sea by boat. She will also test her luck and tell the boatman in advance whether she can sail, so she can predict the strange and call her goddess, Dragon Lady.
987 was the day when Maureen, who was only 28 years old, got up and took off. On this day, people on Meizhou Island said that it was fine to see Mazu flying in the sky with Changfeng and Xiangyun. Since then, sailors have said that Maureen often flies in red clothes to help people in distress and call for help. Therefore, the statue of Mazu is gradually widely enshrined on ships, praying for safe and smooth navigation.
Mazu galloped on the sea all his life and saved many fishing boats and merchant ships in the storm. She is determined to save all living things, protect fishermen and take doing good and helping the world as her own duty. According to historical records, Mazu was praised many times in the Northern Song Dynasty, the Southern Song Dynasty, the Yuan Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty, with titles ranging from Madame, Tian Fei and Tianhou to Notre Dame, and was finally included in Taoist sacrifices and national sacrifices.
People in Mazu Town felt the joy of saving lives, and in the same year they built a temple on Meizhou Island to worship it. This is the famous Meizhou Mazu Tempel. The ancestral hall was expanded in A.D. 1023- 1032, becoming more and more magnificent. From 1403 to 1424, the navigator Zheng He came to Meiyu twice to preside over the royal sacrificial ceremony and expand the temple. By the time of Kangxi in Qing Dynasty, five groups of buildings had been formed. Regrettably, the original grand building has been abandoned, and only the Parent Temple in Moline remains in the original small-scale building.
Because Lin Moniang was very kind to the people before her death, she was promoted to Poseidon and honored as Poseidon by the coastal people. After repeated performances, they should be at sea, and people crossing the sea pray for them. They are revered as goddess of spirit, and there are temples everywhere in Haidian. Mazu belief has gone through 1000 years since it came into being. As a folk belief and Taoist belief, it has a long history, wide spread and far-reaching influence, which is not found in other folk beliefs. The emperors' worship and praise of Mazu made Mazu become the official patron saint of navigation from a folk god, and his god became higher and higher and spread more and more widely. From Puyi to all parts of the country, no one knows, and no god can replace it.