This is the oft-mentioned commemorative tablet awarded to 媽祖Ma-Zu the Goddess by Emperor 光緒Guan-Xu (1871-1908) for her helping Sun Kai-Hua defeat the French in the battle of Fisherman's Wharf. The 4 words read from right to left, i.e., the traditional Chinese way of writing (left to right was consider the barbaric way). This wooden tablet is hung above the three large incense pots in the mid-court of the 福佑宮 in Danshui - known to the locals forever as the 媽祖宮. This temple was also the headquarters of General Sun during the Sino-French war and outside of it, the dead fusiliers marins were temporarily placed.[A Danshui-ren's observation: 媽祖 herself was known to have spent 3 days and 3 nights searching for and eventually found her father's body who was lost at sea. She would have and probably did report those who showed disrespect to the French war-dead - to even higher authorities. In the "pagan"-Taoism, punishment in the after-life is meted out in 18 levels of hell.]
Ma-Zu's original name was 林默娘Lim Vo'g Niu (960-987AD) (the name was literally a girl who was silent). She was deified during the 宋朝Song Dynasty for the many well-documented life-saving miracles during storms at sea. Indeed she is still regarded as the guardian of all seafaring fishermen of the southeast coast of China, even today. Early Western missionaries to China mistook her as the Virgin Mary incarnate. They were quickly disappointed upon learning that her family tree could be traced clearly. In fact, some of her descendants still reside in Taiwan.
A strictly followed Taiwanese fishermen custom is that whenever they need rescue from some maritime disasters, the prayer must never ever invoke 媽祖's official title 天妃(Heavenly Mother), or it'd take longer because, to befit the title, she'd need time to properly dress up and presumably to wear make up also. A prayer to 媽祖 would produce much faster outcome.
媽祖's miracle in Danshui was as a matter of fact [i.e., how else can the Chinese victory be explained], duly reported to the Qing Court by Liu Ming Ch'uan, hence the royal award of the wooden tablet.
Later, during the Second World War, she was said to have saved the Taiwanese from airstrikes as well, catching the bombs in her apron or dress and depositing them in the ocean.
回覆刪除If I were a worshipper of Matsu, I think my belief would have been challenged. 75 percent of Taiwan's infastructure was destroyed by American bombs. In her defense, a girl can't be everywhere at the same time.
Catching the bombs? That I have not heard. As one who grew up playing in her temple in Danshui, I have always known Matsu's expertise is storm-related sea rescue. Everything else is pure conjecture including the "miracle" at the Sino-French war.
回覆刪除Hmm, I seem to remember something similar in Europe during WWII except it was Virgin Mary that time.