The Study On Mazu Worship In Shandong Area

The distribution of Mazu worship is very extensive, but the research on Mazu worship is presenting the situation as "Hot in the south, and cold in the north". Based on the relevant literature of Mazu worship research, it can be found that the focus of Mazu worship study is in Fujian, Guangdong, Taiwan, Hongkong and Macao, while the research of Mazu worship in Northern China is relatively little, and even less in Shandong area. Though Mazu worship is quite prosperous in the coastal areas and along the canal area of Shandong, together with Dragon King worship, it is regarded as the most basic Sea Worship, the academic attention on the study of Mazu worship in Shandong is low, the study started relatively late, and it mainly stresses the traditional history and the communication of Mazu worship in Shandong area. In recent years the research of Mazu worship from the aspects of multi-disciplines such as anthropology, sociology has gradually emerged, but is still not enough. On the whole, the study of Mazu worship in Shandong area lacks integrity and contemporary concerns. Selecting Mazu worship in Shandong area as the research object, and absorbing the results of previous studies, this thesis attempts to explore the overall study and current situation of Mazu worship in Shandong area. The specific research approach and content as follows:First, analyzes the time and route of Mazu worship in Shandong, charts the spread routes of Mazu worship in Shandong and sorts out the regional distribution of Mazu worship in Shandong province according to the literature data. Mazu temple is the best carrier of regional distribution of Mazu worship, therefore this thesis needs to sort out statistically the specific distribution of Mazu temple. Through the analysis, this thesis puts forward that Mazu worship was introduced into Shandong in Yuan Dynasty and two spread routes were formed at that period:the east route was along the sea and the west route along the canal, and about 50 Mazu temples were built along these two lines. Mazu worship has entered into a period of decline in the end of Qing Dynasty, which is caused by the termination of water transport, the withdrawal of Fujian merchants, the self-development of Mazu worship and the national policies, etc.Second, with the great concern of historical spread of Mazu worship, this thesis mainly focuses on the contemporary revival of Mazu worship in Shandong area to exhibit the current development of Mazu worship in Shandong. The author found that the contemporary revival of Mazu worship in Shandong shows two different trends in the field investigation. The spread of Mazu worship in the coastal villages and cities of Shandong is different because of the different ecological context, which also results in the different spread causes, spread patterns and spread functions of Mazu worship in villages and cities. In the coastal villages the revival of Mazu worship is from people’s inner beliefs so the authenticity of Mazu worship has been maintained and Mazu temple exists as a pure temple. In cities the revival of Mazu worship benefits from the encouragement and promotion of the country and drive of tourism, therefore the religious significance has been weakened and the secularity has been highlighted, and Mazu temple has been endowed with various functions, such as political, economic, cultural and recreational and etc. On the surface, the quick revival of Mazu worship in Shandong presents a "thriving" situation, but in fact, the huge threat of loss of faith is hidden behind the revival, so there is the decline in the revival.Third, Mazu temple is the carrier of Mazu worship. This thesis also studies Mazu temples in Shandong area, lists the most representative of Mazu temple, and discusses the official and non-official property of Mazu temple in Shandong. This thesis also studies the God worship patterns in Mazu temples, compiles the inscriptions in Mazu temples and analyzes these inscriptions at the same time. The analysis shows the following characteristics:Multi-God worship in Mazu temples and unclear religious property of Mazu worship, uniting Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism as one, which can be reflected from these inscriptions.Fourth, the study on the historical spread and contemporary revival of Mazu worship can clearly display the panorama of Mazu worship development in Shandong area. After Mazu worship entered into Shandong, it experienced the integration with the local culture, and then localization has been realized, therefore cultural elements of Mazu worship in different geographical situations also should be concerned about. This thesis mainly probes into Mazu worship in terms of Mazu’s name, Mazu’s holy duties, Mazu’s godhood and the influence of Mazu worship on local areas and people’s life.Finally, the author deliberates over the development of Mazu worship in Shandong area and observes that Mazu worship in Shandong both has the feature of standardization and the feature of localization compared with the typical Mazu worship in Fujian of Southern China. For the feature of standardization, Mazu temple in Shandong has been named as "Tian Hou temple" and the ritual has followed the Meizhou Mazu temple style; for the feature of localization, Mazu in Shandong has been called as "Niang Niang" (Goddess) and the local ritual has been adopted. This phenomenon indicates that though Mazu worship has the feature of standardization, it is not complete, actually is the standardization on the localization, therefore essentially it is one kind of "semi-standardization".