Fujian The Changting Mother Blessing Belief Research

Mazu(also spelt Matsu), also know as Tianfei, Queen of heaven, goddess of heaven, Mother, is a common folk deitie of Chinese ancient boatmen, fishermen, sailors, merchants, travelers and even successive central governments. Belief in Mazu originated more than one thousand years before which is the Song Dynasty in Fujian Putian's coastal area. In the stage of history, the first appearance of Mazu is " Goddess of sea", later in the legend, gradually she was celestially functioning as rescuing shipwreck, wiping out invaders, helping sickness and poverty, protecting state and people, and quickly the belief, soon, spread out from legends into temples, folk into court, island to inland, and internal to overseas.In Shaoding period of emperor Lizong in the Southern Song Dynasty, the famous legal examiner named Song Ci when has taken up the post of the county of Changting, has greatly strengthened the economical cultural communication between the area of Tingzhou and Guangdong Chaoshan, by vigorously developing the Dingjiang river shipping, straighting out the the business channel of Tingjiang River and Hanjiang River, given the traffic inconvenience of Tingzhou road. But the Tingjiang River was twisted and turned, the flow is rapid, and with a total of27dangerous shoals, has been always taking shipping accidents. By knowing that the goddess Mazu would protect shipping, Tingzhou masses incorporated her into the folk belief system. And latter, Mazu of TianZhou gradually has been changing her functions from what was simple goddess of sea, protecting shipping into the omnipotent main Goddess, and has been becoming "Mazu Nvli" of the folk worshi..Changting is located in southwestern Fujian, and the junction of two provinces, Guangdong, Jiangxi, an real inland area. Mazu belief come to inland frome coastal areas, and has taken the development, evolution, eventually become the prevalent in folk beliefs. As the saying that One place mould one god, inevitably a folk belief of a region is always taking with the characteristics of that place, these characteristics expressly reflected in the functions. In certain extent, gods was "choice" by the sense of the believers. Therefore whether it " needs", it" changes", or" develops" largely depends on the local natural and cultural environment At the same time, the process of " growth" of a popular deity also produces positive or negative influence in the local social culture.This dissertation which would attempts to do a simple analysis for the Mazu belief in the area of Changting based on field investigation and combined with the historical literature will be divided into four parts:the first chapter which mainly introduces the general situation of Changting area, would also be divided into two parts, namely the natural and cultural background and the Mazu's present situation analysis in Changting; the second chapter discusses the inheritance as well as the local variation from an coastal Mazu belief towards the Changting Mazu belief; the third chapter refers to the main characteristic of Mazu belief of Changting, and this chapter contains four aspects:l,the local features of Changting Mazu belief;2, the salvation of the many gods in the system of Changting Mazu belief;3, the tolerance between Changting Mazu belief and the local red culture;4, the modern characteristics of the Mazu belief in Changting; the fourth chapter discusses the local social significance of the Mazu belief in the area of Changting.Through the detail expounding of the above four parts, Knowing explicit of Changting Mazu belief status quo, characteristics and social significance of the area, and the Mazu belief and social interaction, which for us in the current situation is helpful in carrying out the Party's ethnic and religious policies, properly in handling the management issues of the folk beliefs, and in promoting the construction of socialist harmonious community, and that would be long-term and important for us.