Chen Jinggu, a native of Xiadu, Cangshan, Fuzhou, was born on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month in the second year of the Tang Dynasty (767). Legend has it that she was reincarnated from the blood of Guanyin. She spent her life eliminating demons and monsters, praying for rain and disaster relief, and assisting in childbirth, and was deeply loved by the people. People's belief in Chen Jinggu became popular during the Song and Yuan dynasties. The court conferred the title of "Lady Chongfu Zhaohui Ciji" on Chen Jinggu. From then on, Chen Jinggu became a deity designated by the emperor from a folk goddess, which promoted the spread of Chen Jinggu's belief. Beliefs and customs, also known as "popular beliefs", are a kind of traditional concept formed by conventions in the long-term production and life process of people. Under the control of this concept, people will have psychological and behavioral identification with certain folk phenomena. The gods worshipped by traditional folk beliefs are an important source of beliefs and customs, and praying for blessings and avoiding harm is the internal reason for the continuous inheritance of traditional beliefs and customs. The collection of various folk cultural expressions constitutes the cultural space of folk beliefs and customs. Linshui Temple in Gutian County, Fujian Province, mainly worships the Taoist goddess Chen Jinggu. Worshiping Chen Jinggu and holding the ritual of inviting incense and receiving fire are currently the most influential folk belief activities in Fujian Province and even in the Jiangnan region. Its influence has even spread to Southeast Asia and Chinese communities around the world. The belief in Chen Jinggu originated in the Song Dynasty and flourished in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The incense has been passed down continuously. According to the "Gutian County Chronicles" of the Ming Wanli Period, Chen Jinggu was born in the Tang Dynasty. It is said that she was a native of Xiadu, Cangshan, Fuzhou. At the age of 24, she was reborn to pray for rain. She sacrificed her young life to relieve the drought and save the people. After her death, she was revered as the protector of children and women. An old wooden house near the Xu Zhenjun Temple in Xiachi, Cangshan was also regarded as the ancestral house of Chen Jinggu by the locals and worshipped. The belief in Chen Jinggu has influenced Chinese communities in Fujian, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hubei, Anhui and other provinces (regions) and all over the world. There are more than 80 million believers, and more than 4,000 branch temples of Linshui Temple have appeared, forming a special folk cultural phenomenon. The ritual of inviting incense and receiving fire is carried out throughout the year, and the most grand ritual is in the first month of the lunar calendar, the month of Chen Jinggu's birthday. At that time, believers from all over the country will form a "Lady Society" to celebrate the birthday of Gutian Linshui Temple, and invite incense and receive fire from the ancestral temple to return home to pray for the gods, reflecting the widespread desire of the public to pray for blessings and peace. In this process, Taoist rituals, folk music, opera and dance, traditional martial arts, folk music, etc. from different schools in various places are fully displayed. There are more than 400 branch temples of Linshui Temple in Taiwan, and more than 400,000 pilgrims from Taiwan have visited Gutian Ancestral Temple in the past 20 years. With the ritual of inviting incense and receiving fire as a medium, Taiwanese compatriots have enhanced their emotional exchanges with mainland compatriots and their identification with national culture in the folk belief ritual of sharing the same ancestors and gods. Chen Jinggu (905928) People say: "Putian has Mazu, Gutian has Jinggu." Mazu (Lin Mo Niang) and Chen Jinggu are both admirable and extraordinary women, and heroines in folk legends. They did many good deeds to save people during their lifetime; after their death, one became the patron saint of the sea, and the other became the patron saint of women and children. Chen Jinggu in the folk legends of Gutian County, Fujian Province, is also written as Chen Jingma, Chen Jinma, and Chen Zhengu; she has many honorific titles during her lifetime or after her death, such as Linshui Madam, Shunyi Madam, Ciji Madam, Shuntian Holy Mother, Tianxian Holy Mother, Bixia Yuanjun, and Zhusheng Niangniang. People usually call her Madam Chen, Empress Chen, or Lin... More >>> Chen Jinggu (905928) People say: "Putian has Mazu, Gutian has Jinggu." Mazu (Lin Mo Niang) and Chen Jinggu are both admirable and extraordinary women, and heroines in folk legends. They did many good deeds to save people during their lifetime; after their death, one became the patron saint of the sea, and the other became the patron saint of women and children. Chen Jinggu in the folk legend of Gutian County, Fujian Province, is also written as Chen Jingma, Chen Jinma, Chen Zhengu; she had many honorific titles during her lifetime or after her death, such as Linshui Madam, Shunyi Madam, Ciji Madam, Shuntian Holy Mother, Tianxian Holy Mother, Bixia Yuanjun, Zhusheng Niangniang. People usually call her Madam Chen, Empress Chen, or Lin...more>>>People say: "Putian has Mazu, Gutian has Jinggu." Mazu (Lin Mo Niang) and Chen Jinggu are both admirable and extraordinary women, and heroines in folk legends. They did many good deeds to save people during their lifetime; after their death, one became the patron saint of the sea, and the other became the patron saint of women and children. Chen Jinggu in the folk legend of Gutian County, Fujian Province, is also written as Chen Jingma, Chen Jinma, and Chen Zhengu. She was honored by many titles during her lifetime or after her death, such as Lady Linshui, Lady Shunyi, Lady Ciji, the Holy Mother Shuntian, the Holy Mother Tianxian, Bixia Yuanjun, and the Goddess Zhusheng. People usually call her Lady Chen, Empress Chen, or Lin...more>>>