Mazu in Tianjin

In Taiwan, almost every county has the Mazu Temple, totally 383 in 1960. How about the North China? Yes, there are about a dozen in Tianjin in the Qing Dynasty, and the existing Tianhou Palace is one kind of the Mazu Temples.

It¡¯s said that Mazu¡¯s old name is Lin Moniang, born in the Putian County of the Fujian Province in the Song Dynasty (about 960). She had never cried after one-month birth, so was named Moniang (silent girl). She loved to be in red, was good at swimming, always saved sinking fishermen from the billowy sea, finally died and rebirthed. So when being in danger in the sea, the fishermen in Fujian and Taiwan will pray for her blessing, therefore she was called Mazu, the sea-goddess of China. The ¡°Birthday¡± of the Mazu is the March 23 in the lunar calendar, when Tianjin people will go to the Tianhou Palace and offer incense to the Tianhou Niangniang (Mazu).

In 1980s, there are more than 2500 Mazu Temples in the world, about 1500 in the mainland, 800 in Taiwan, 57 in Hong Kong or Macao, and 135 in 17 foreign countries (Japan, North Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Burma, Brunei, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Philippines, US, France, Denmark, Brazil, and Argentina).

The largest 3 Mazu Temples in the world are the Meizhoudao Mazu Temple in Putian of Fujian, the Chaotian Palace in Beigang of Taiwan, and the Tianhou Palace in Tianjin.