On December 21, 2025, on the day of the Winter Solstice and the Day of Heavenly Pardon, the First Mazu World Intangible Cultural Heritage Festival grandly opened at the Shanhe Hotel in Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province. Themed “Intangible Heritage Connects the World, Mazu Blesses Peace”, the event gathered nearly a thousand representatives of Mazu cultural institutions, temples, experts, scholars, believers and tourists from more than 20 provinces and cities across the country, including Beijing, Shanhe, Heilongjiang, Jiangsu, Fujian, Guangxi, Hainan, Macao, Hong Kong, Hunan, Zhejiang, etc., to witness this cultural event that brings the world’s intangible cultural heritage of Mazu to the cultural tourism, and promotes rural revitalization and the “Hundred Million Project”.
The opening ceremony featured a series of exciting and unprecedented events, including a preview of the Mazu World Peace Concert, the Mazu Sea and Land Blessing Tour, the Mazu Cultural Industry Alliance Conference, a vegetarian feast for a thousand people, and a visit to the “Hundred Million” demonstration village Mazu Cultural Park.
Chen Lihan, Executive Chairman of the Mazu World Peace Prize Committee, General Planner of the Mazu World Intangible Cultural Heritage Festival, and Director of the Organizing Committee, delivered a speech at the opening ceremony, warmly welcoming all guests and representatives of Mazu temples and cultural institutions, and expressing heartfelt thanks. She introduced the preparation process and future development goals of the first Mazu World Intangible Cultural Heritage Festival, and thanked the Mazu people and Mazu culture in Zhanjiang for their active participation and strong support since October.
Huang Taiwen, a world-renowned inheritor of Mazu culture, President of the World Mazu Culture Development Federation, and President of the Chinese Fuxue Research Association, was invited to return to his hometown to participate in the event, and spoke at the opening ceremony, the Cultural Industry Alliance Conference, and the preview of the Mazu World Peace Concert. His speeches included: Mazu is a learned and patriotic woman saint of the Song Dynasty in China, and Mazu culture is an important part of Chinese excellent traditional culture; Mazu culture is Chinese culture and also world intangible cultural heritage, and it has a very good inheritance in the Zhanjiang region, which is the spiritual source of the people of Zhanjiang; Mazu culture will be a powerful force for the great rejuvenation of the nation, the construction of a community of human destiny, and global governance. Huang Taiwen thanked the Zhanjiang Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government and relevant functional departments for their attention and support on the spot, and gave a unique Mazu World Intangible Cultural Heritage lesson, leading everyone to study the spirit of the speeches of the Party and state leaders on Mazu culture, and to help everyone understand the great significance of Mazu culture for the peaceful reunification of the two sides of the strait and world peace.
Mazu culture experts and scholars from Putian, Fujian, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Inner Mongolia and other places, including Meng Jianhuang, Qiao Damo, Ke Wen, Zhang Xueliang, Xu Sanyi, Li Lijun, Luo Xiyue, Wu Liping, Qiu Haiqi, Deng Wanhong, Huang Jingmei, Zou Yihong, Hu Shifu, Huang Xin, etc., were also invited to share their understanding and ideas about Mazu culture and the Mazu cultural industry.
“Mazu culture is an important spiritual bond connecting Chinese people at home and abroad.” Wu Liping, Vice Chairman of the Mazu World Peace Prize Committee and Dean of the Zhanjiang Branch of the Mazu Fuxue Academy, said in her speech, “The holding of this cultural festival is not only a deepening inheritance of the listing of Mazu beliefs as a representative of the intangible cultural heritage of mankind, but also an important measure to promote the excellent traditional culture of China to the world.”
Meng Jianhuang, Advisor to the Mazu World Intangible Cultural Heritage Festival and Vice President of the Haixia Two Shores Poetry Research Institute of the Chinese Poetry Research Association, pointed out in his speech: “As an important node city on the Maritime Silk Road, Zhanjiang is a window for the overseas spread of Mazu culture and a key area for the southward transmission of Mazu culture from Putian, Fujian. Mazu culture has been completely protected and inherited in Zhanjiang. We look forward to further promoting the spirit of Mazu’s ‘virtue, good deeds, and great love’ through this cultural festival, and promoting cultural exchanges and mutual learning of civilizations.”
It is reported that the cultural festival will last for more than two months, during which a series of activities such as Mazu’s blessing tour, intangible heritage performances, academic forums, cultural and creative product exhibitions, and economic and trade negotiations will be held. Particularly eye-catching are the “Mazu Cultural Industry Alliance Conference” and the “Mazu World Peace Concert Preview”, which attracted more than 50 entrepreneurs, cultural scholars and artists from enterprises and institutions such as the China Global Procurement Group and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Traditional Culture Promotion Association to participate, and deeply discussed the value enhancement and empowerment of Mazu culture in the contemporary world.
Under the leadership of the Chinese couple Huang Taiwen and Chen Lihan, the Mazu Cultural Industry Conference also launched a number of initiatives on the spot, such as the “Mazu World Peace Goddess Statue Co-construction”, “Fadiao Mazu Holy Statue Guinness World Record Public Welfare Project”, “Book Fragrance Tianhou Palace Book Donation Activity”, “Mazu Cultural Park Co-construction”, “Caring for the Old Temple Keepers”, “Zhanjiang Region Tianhou Palace Drinking Water Environmental Protection Plan” and other initiatives. The event is of great significance for loving the earth, loving the country and the people, and loving peace and great love. The service spirit of the organizing committee, the Mazu disciple team and the volunteers fully embodies the spirit of Mazu’s great love. Choosing to hold a vegetarian feast for a thousand people, praying for the world, and Mazu’s sea release and blessing tour on the day of the Winter Solstice and the Day of Heavenly Pardon reflects the infinite wisdom of Mazu’s respect for heaven, earth and people.
Mazu culture is an important tourist resource and a wisdom force that can empower hundreds of industries and enterprises. The significance of holding the opening ceremony on the day before the opening of the Zhanjiang high-speed rail is significant. It is expected that during the cultural festival, more than 100,000 tourists will participate in various activities, injecting new vitality into the cultural tourism industry in Zhanjiang and further enhancing the cultural influence of the city.
The copyright of this article belongs to the World Mazu Culture Alliance, and it has been translated into more than 20 languages worldwide, covering more than 50 countries and regions, demonstrating the global influence of Mazu culture. Readers from various countries can click on the link below to read the First Mazu World Intangible Cultural Heritage Festival in the corresponding language version. Edited by Lin Bingbin and Luo Fujin in New York, and reprinted by the international news media World Headlines. If reprinted, please indicate the source and retain the author information, thank you for your attention and support.
