Maxian Belief and Customs
01 · Historical Records
Zherong County in Fujian Province was established as a county in 1945; in the Ming dynasty it was under the jurisdiction of Funing Subprefecture, and in the Qing dynasty it belonged to Funing Prefecture, whose seat was in Xiapu County. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, the temples dedicated to her were called the 'Madaxian Temple' or the 'Huguo Furen Temple' (Temple of the Lady Who Protects the Nation). During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the Maxian belief spread widely in Funing Prefecture (present-day eastern Fujian) and took deep root. Dongshi Mountain in Zherong, hailed as the 'Immortal Mountain', is the sacred mountain where believers from the Fujian-Zhejiang border area make pilgrimages to worship Maxian. Legend has it that Lingyan Cave on the mountain is where Maxian once practiced self-cultivation; believers come to worship there throughout the year without interruption. Maxian was first worshipped as a model of filial virtue, and later gradually evolved into a local protective deity who cures illness, dispels disaster, averts harm, and keeps the people safe.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Maxian, also known as 'Madaxian', 'Maxiaoxian', 'Ma Zhenren', 'Ma Xiangu', and 'Huguo Furen' (Lady Who Protects the Nation), is a goddess venerated by the people of northeastern Fujian and southeastern Zhejiang. According to the Qianlong-era 'General Gazetteer of Fujian, Biographies of Recluses': 'Ma Zhenren was a daughter of the Ma family of Wenma Village.' During the Qianfu era, she entered Kunlun Mountain to refine the elixir of immortality and ascended to immortality. A temple to her stands there. The 'Record of the Stele at the Temple of the Lady Who Protects the Nation', written by Li Yangbing, magistrate of Jinyun County in the Tang dynasty and a renowned writer and calligrapher, is included in the Tongzhi-era 'Gazetteer of Jingning County'. In addition, records of Maxian appear in many important works, including Yang Erzeng's 'Xinjuan Xianyuan Jishi' (Newly Engraved Accounts of Female Immortals) and Wang Shizhen's 'Youxiang Liexian Quanzhuan' (Illustrated Complete Biographies of Immortals) of the Ming dynasty, Feng Menglong's 'Shouning Daizhi: Xianghuo' (Notes on Incense Worship) and He Qiaoyuan's 'Min Shu' (Book of Fujian), as well as Chen Menglei's 'Gujin Tushu Jicheng: Shenyi Dian, Shenxian Bu' (Complete Collection of Illustrations and Writings, Section on the Marvelous, Division of Immortals) and Yu Yue's 'Chunzaitang Suibi' (Essays from the Chunzai Hall) of the Qing dynasty. The main form of expression of the Maxian belief is the grand Maxian procession festival, held every year starting on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month. During the Maxian procession festival, a rich variety of folk-art performances are also held, including platform tableaux (taige), traditional opera, puppetry, lantern art, acrobatics, dance, and lantern riddles. The Maxian belief has a broad popular base in China; its influence extends to Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and Guangdong, as well as the Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan regions, and it is of undeniable practical significance for promoting the culture of filial piety, strengthening community cohesion, and enhancing Chinese national identity.
Receiving the goddess
The procession begins at the cave where the goddess is said to have attained immortality, bringing her out from the place of her cultivation to be seen by all.
Offerings and the jiao rite
Offerings and the jiao rite are held at the Ma temple on the islet in the walled town, the most formal and Daoist-styled part of the whole sequence.
The procession through thirteen divisions
The county is divided into thirteen divisions following the stream that runs through it, and the sedan chair of the goddess passes through them in that order.
Returning the goddess to the cave
The last stage returns the sedan chair to the cave, leaving the goddess to her mountain and the people to their own.
Arts performed during the procession
From the seventh day of the seventh lunar month the procession carries platform tableaux, opera, puppetry, lantern craft, acrobatics, dance and lantern riddles.
The temples of the goddess
Her temples were called the Ma temple or the Lady of the Nation temple, spread along the Fujian-Zhejiang border; the stele text of the former survives in a gazetteer.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
As the heartland of the Maxian belief, Zherong County is the locality whose 'Ma Zhenren Temple' is described in detail in volume 24 of the 'Gazetteer of Xiapu County'. Following the flow of the Long Stream (Longxi) that runs through the county, Zherong County divides its territory into thirteen districts (jing), and each year the Maxian procession is held in that order. It consists mainly of the following stages: first, welcoming the immortal, beginning at Lingyan Cave; next, offerings and the jiao (Taoist) rite, with the central venue at the Xianyu Maxian Temple in the county seat; then, touring the districts, as the palanquin of Maxian makes a circuit through all thirteen; and finally, sending the immortal off, as the palanquin is solemnly returned to Lingyan Cave.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
The Maxian belief is a traditional folk custom, passed down for generations by the people of Zherong County in Fujian Province, of worshipping Maxian. The Maxian belief is collectively transmitted by the people.
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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