From October 12 to 14, the 19th Mazu Cultural Tourism Festival was grandly held in Macau. Lin Jinzhan, Chairman of the Meizhou Mazu Temple Board, was invited to attend the event, joining guests from Fujian, Macau, and overseas to celebrate the Mazu festivities and pray for peace and blessings.
This year’s festival was jointly organized by Fujian and Macau, marking the first inclusion of the Fujian-Macau cooperation mechanism, with the Fujian Provincial Government serving as a co-organizer. The event centered around Mazu culture, featuring an opening ceremony and Mazu rituals, a Mazu parade at the A-Ma Temple, a welcome dinner, and special cultural performances. On the first day, the Fujian-Macau Cultural and Tourism Promotion Conference and Welcome Dinner of the 19th Mazu Cultural Tourism Festival took place at the Galaxy International Convention Center banquet hall, gathering over a thousand attendees.
In her speech, Jiang Erxiong, Vice Governor of Fujian Province, stated that the Macau Mazu Cultural Tourism Festival is an important cultural platform for inheriting Mazu beliefs, connecting the friendship between Fujian and Macau, and uniting Chinese people at home and abroad. She expressed hope that all parties would continue the Mazu cultural legacy, promote the spirit of “virtue, kindness, and great love,” leverage the advantages of Fujian as the birthplace of Mazu culture, utilize the festival platform effectively, deepen exchanges in beliefs and arts, and tell the story of Mazu in the new era.
At 10 a.m. on the 13th, the festival opened at the Macau Mazu Cultural Village. Attendees included Macau SAR Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Ho Hau Wah, Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in Macau Zheng Xinchong, Deputy Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Macau SAR Cheng Lei, Vice Governor of Fujian Province Jiang Erxiong, Chairman of the Taiwan United Alliance Lin Bingkun, Chairman of the Meizhou Mazu Temple Board Lin Jinzhan, Chairman of the Macau Chinese Mazu Foundation Yan Yanling, and Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the 19th Mazu Cultural Tourism Festival Chen Mingjin, among other leaders and guests, as well as representatives from temples at home and abroad.
After the opening ceremony, accompanied by ancient music, the national intangible cultural heritage—”Mazu Ritual” was brilliantly presented. Lin Jinzhan, Chairman of the Meizhou Mazu Temple Board, and Chen Mingbai, Director of the A-Ma Temple, led Mazu devotees from various places in a solemn three-offering ceremony to Mazu.
At around 3 p.m., a parade with over three thousand participants surrounded the statue of Mazu at the A-Ma Temple, parading from the waterfront at Kwai Tsi Base to Youhan Park. This parade gathered over ten folk performance teams, including the Macau Putian Association, Macau Fuzhou Putian Mazu Cultural Friendship Association, Macau Putian Youth Association, Shenzhou Mazu Cultural Exchange Association, and Macau Jinjing Association. The procession was filled with drums and gongs, with many residents stopping to watch and pray along the way, creating a lively and harmonious atmosphere. That evening at 8 p.m., a special cultural performance was held at Youhan Park, culminating the parade activities, as guests from Fujian, Macau, and overseas prayed for peace and shared in the celebration under the influence of Mazu culture.
This visit to Macau further solidified the friendly ties between the Meizhou Mazu Temple and the Mazu cultural community in Macau. Moving forward, the Meizhou Mazu Temple will continue to play a leading role, inheriting and promoting the Mazu spirit, and will carry on cultural exchange activities between Fujian and Macau as well as overseas, fostering the transmission of excellent traditional Chinese culture through mutual learning and exchange.
This article is reproduced from Meizhou Mazu Temple Official Account, ◎Text | Yu Shunan, ◎Images | Macau Organizing Committee, translated into over 20 languages globally, covering more than 50 countries and regions, showcasing the global influence of Mazu culture. Editor: Lin Bingbin, Luo Fujin reporting from New York. Please indicate the source and retain the author’s information if reproduced. Thank you for your attention and support.
