Mazu

Author: Zhou Xiuting
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-01-01
Features: "Praise the sea of grace in all directions for Putuo, and the incense of the five continents originates from Meizhou." For thousands of years, Mazu has been revered as the "protector of the sea" in the hearts of believers at home and abroad. There are over 200 million Mazu followers worldwide, with nearly 5,000 Mazu temples, and her ancestral temple is located in Meizhou, Putian, Fujian. Today, over ten million believers visit the ancestral temple for pilgrimage each year. Mazu's spirit of benevolence, charity, and protection for the nation has grown stronger, gradually forming a unique "Mazu culture." To better promote Mazu culture, the China Mazu Cultural Exchange Association was recently established with the approval of relevant authorities. Mazu, originally named Lin Mo, was born on the 23rd day of the third month of the first year of Jianlong in the Song Dynasty (960 AD) in a fishing village called Xianliang Port in Putian, Fujian. The day before her birth, neighbors saw a meteor transform into a red light, shooting from the northwest sky to the sky above the village, brilliant and dazzling. The villagers spread the word that something joyous would soon happen in the village. Indeed, the next day, officials from the village visited Lin Yuan's home and found a newborn girl there. Because she did not cry from birth to her full moon, she was named Lin Mo. She later became the beloved goddess of the Taiwan Strait—Mazu. For thousands of years, folk tales have widely circulated about Mazu's life-saving deeds during her lifetime and her miraculous protection of the nation after her "ascension." Renowned painter Zhou Xiuting takes pride in growing up in Mazu's hometown. From a young age, he held Mazu, the goddess of peace in the Taiwan Strait, in the highest reverence and resolved to promote this revered goddess from his homeland. He aimed to depict her legendary stories in a series of illustrations for future generations to appreciate and learn from, thereby promoting Mazu culture. Today, the nearly eighty-year-old painter remains deeply devoted to Mazu, unwavering in his mission. He has often told me that he is determined to publish a painting album, with Mazu as its first piece. I deeply resonate with his sentiment and have kept it in mind. After careful planning, this year, I helped him fulfill this lifelong dream, and the painter's joy was beyond words.
Zhou Xiuting was born on September 29, 1928, in a rural area at the foot of Sanzi Mountain in Huating, Putian, Fujian, my hometown. From a young age, he studied poetry, calligraphy, and painting under renowned masters. In 1942, he apprenticed with the master Li Geng, learning Chinese painting techniques and the strengths of masters, becoming an accomplished painter in figures, landscapes, and flowers and birds. His figures are rustic, vigorous, and natural; his flowers and birds are fresh, enduring, and elegant; his ink paintings are full of vitality; and his meticulous brushwork is exceptional. Since 1959, he has been invited five times to paint for the Great Hall of the People and Zhongnanhai, creating masterpieces such as "Ode to the White Dove" and "Eagle Soaring at Dawn." Today, "Ode to the White Dove" still hangs in the main hall of the Great Hall of the People, where visitors take photos. Leaders such as Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai have also taken group photos with foreign guests in front of this painting. His representative works include "Spring Night Banquet in Peach and Plum Garden" (collected by former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore), "Celestial Immortals Celebrating Longevity" (collected by the renowned collector Zhou Yingnan), and others. For the handover of Hong Kong, he created "Dawn of the Divine Land," earning both a gold shield and a gold medal. For the handover of Macau, he painted "Mazu's Blessing to Macau," which was selected for a publication and awarded the honorary title of "One of the Hundred Great Elders of China."
On October 4–11, 1990, during the 11th Asian Games in Beijing, I organized and curated Zhou Xiuting's exhibition, which was grandly launched in Beijing. Mr. Cheng Siyuan, Vice Chairman of the National People's Congress, attended the opening ceremony and cut the ribbon, while Ms. Liao Jingwen, the wife of the renowned painter Xu Beihong, presided over the opening. Over one hundred prominent artists from Beijing, including the famous painters Liu Daowei, Yinoushi, and Liu Qian, as well as the poet Ai Qing, attended the opening. More than thirty news media, including People's Daily, China Central Television, and China International Radio, reported extensively on the exhibition's success. Zhou Xiuting made a name for himself and gained fame both domestically and internationally. The attending artists unanimously affirmed that Zhou Xiuting was an exceptional master of Chinese painting.
Fifteen years later, moved by this achievement, Zhou Xiuting hoped that his younger generation could help him plan and organize the publication of a series of paintings celebrating Mazu's life and deeds titled "Mazu." To realize his dream sooner, the painter shut himself away, living in seclusion in Sanzi Mountain to meticulously plan his work. The "Mazu" album, blending historical records, legends, and real-life scenes, consists of fifty illustrations, from the "Portrait of Mazu's Parents" to "Dreaming to Protect the Ship." It took a year to complete. Once again, it attracted widespread attention.
In Zhou Xiuting's paintings, Mazu appears compassionate and dignified, evoking deep reverence in the viewers. Each illustration in the "Mazu" album is accompanied by a miraculous legend, such as "Praying for Rain to Aid the People," "Discovering a Talisman in a Well," "Sacred Spring Healing the Plague," and "Saving the Eunuch Zheng He in Guangzhou." Grateful for the painter's kindness, he asked me to write the preface to the album. This heartfelt sentiment inspired me, and Mazu's divine inspiration moved me as well. I understood that the publication of the "Mazu" album would have a positive and far-reaching impact on promoting Mazu culture, advancing national unity, and. Therefore, I gladly accepted the task. I believe that the painter's true, good, and beautiful art, infused with Mazu's divine compassion that transcends time and space, will allow the world to deeply appreciate and understand.