Mazu and other Buddhist expressions in Shantou

Guanyin, Buddhis Goddess of Mercy. This was put here by Shantou immigrants in Thailand, perhaps to put a more "pure" image of Buddhism on this temple to Mazu.

The new temple has colored tile, known as a particular specialty of Shantou.

The story of Mazu

This particular temple in honor of Mazu also honors the chicken--the hill on which the temple sits is names "chicken mountain?)

The two picture above are from a Buddhist organization that formed in the 1800s to bury the bodies of people from Shantou who died abroad. Their bodies had been shipped home, but no family could be found. Also if people were too poor to afford burial this organization raised money to take care of the final rites. It has turned into something of a social service agency as well. Above you see the bottled water to give out to the poor. They also serve meals and give out food.

Shantou is the home of a Buddhist temple devoted to Mazu, the goddess of the sea who is supposed to protect fishermen and sailors and is the patron saint of all Southern Chinese and East Asian persons. In Hong Kong, these temples are called Tin Hau temples. She is thought to be born in Fujian around 960 CE and worship of Mazu began around the Ming Dynasty when many temples dedicated to her were erected all across Mainland China, later spreading to other countries with Southern Chinese inhabitants including Taiwan.

According to one legend, Mazu's father and brothers were fishermen. One day, a terrible typhoon arose while they were out at sea. In the midst of this storm, Mazu fell into a trance while praying for them. When her mother discovered her sleeping and tried to wake her. This diverted Mazu's attention and caused her to drop her one brother who drowned as a result. Consequently of the four drowning brothers, three returned.

In China, Buddhism, Taoism and popular deities like Mazu have become intertwined. Buddism in its much purer form is maintained in places like Thailand.