The Legend of Tianhou: The History of the Asian Sea Goddess

She stands between two ponds, one sun-shaped, the other moon-shaped, representing the ying and yang. Tianhou (or Matsu), the Taoist goddess of sea and heavenly mother is honorary by sailors and fishers in China and Asia as a protector.

The Tianhou Temple in Shekou, Guangdong Province, China, was originally built in 1410. According to the legend, the fleet of intrepid Chinese explorer Admiral Zheng He encountered a fierce storm in the Pearl River Delta, but survived and were miraculously able to continue their epic voyage.

Tianhou appeared to the Chinese emperor Zhu Di, who had commissioned the expedition, and said she had saved the men and ships. She commanded that a temple be built near the site to show his gratitude. The emperor obeyed and a temple was constructed. The site fell into disrepair over the years and was completely restored by the municipal government in the 1980s.

Tianhou, meaning heavenly mother in Chinese, is a goddess with many names. She is also known as Tianfei, Matsu-po (meaning Elder Lady Matsu), and A-Ma (Grandmother). Historically, she was given official titles by the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties in China. In 1839 Chinese Emperor Dao Guang bestowed upon her the last title of Holy Mother in Heaven.

According to legend the goddess was at one time mortal. Lín Mòniáng was born on an island off the Chinese coast in 960 AD. She was an excellent swimmer stood on the shore dressed in red to guide the fishing boats in from the sea, despite the bad and dangerous weather.

Many miracles are attributed to Lín Mòniáng. It is said she saved her brother, caught in a terrible typhoon, while fishing. As the stormed raged her family feared her father and brother drown. Lín Mòniáng fell into a trace while praying for the pair. While praying she reached out to the drowning pair, holding her brother out of the water with her hands, and her father with her mouth, to keep them out of harm's way.

Lín Mòniáng mother found her, and in her deep trance thought her dead. Her mother broke down, thinking her daughter was dead, as were her husband and son. Lín Mòniáng, listening to her mother's cries, made a small noise to reassure her she was still among the living. Because she opened her mouth, she dropped her father, whom drowned in the storm. Her brother returned from the ordeal and told the villagers how he was miraculously held out of the water during the savage typhoon.

There are two stories concerning Lín Mòniáng's death. In one, she dies at 16-years-old, drowning while searching for her father's body. In another, she dies at 28-years-old after climbing a mountain. She then flew away to heaven to become a goddess.

Fishers and sailors started to worship the compassionate and protective goddess after her death. Her fame spread. There are 1500 temples to her in 26 countries around the world.

The Tianhou temple in Shekou is now surrounded by shipyards, and is a little piece of tranquility in a city of approximately 10 million.