On May 9 (the 23rd day of the third lunar month), on the occasion of the 1,066th anniversary of Mazu's birth, the establishment and unveiling ceremony of the Putian Meizhou Mazu Academy was held at the Tianfei Hometown Site Park.
On site
Lin Zhaoshu, former chairman of the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese and first and second vice chairman of the Chinese Mazu Cultural Exchange Association, Zhou Lianqing, Party Secretary and Vice Chairman of the 14th Standing Committee of the Fujian Provincial People's Congress, Su Yongge, Director of the Putian Municipal People's Congress Standing Committee, Lin Guangda, former member of the Fujian Provincial People's Congress Standing Committee and adviser to the Chinese Mazu Cultural Exchange Association, Yu Jianzhong, former Vice Chairman of the Putian Municipal CPPCC and executive vice chairman of the Chinese Mazu Cultural Exchange Association, Chen Jiawei, member of the Party Leadership Group and vice chairman of Fujian Radio, Film and Television Group, Lin Pinglan, deputy secretary of the Party Committee of Putian University and dean of the Mazu Culture Research Institute, Su Wenjing, professor at Fuzhou University and chief expert at the Fujian Marine Culture Research Center, Chen Guiquan, deputy secretary-general and director of the general office of the Putian Municipal People's Congress Standing Committee, Dong Fan, vice chairman of the Putian Federation of Literary and Art Circles, Gong Guanxiong, secretary of the Meizhou Party Work Committee, Chen Zhijun, deputy director of the Meizhou Management Committee, Guo Guohui, second-level researcher at the Putian Civil Affairs Bureau, Lin Jinzan, vice chairman of the Chinese Mazu Cultural Exchange Association and chairman of the Meizhou Mazu Ancestral Temple Board of Directors, Zhang Huanzhong, president of the Taiwan Mazu Culture Research Association and professor at Taiwan's Central Taiwan University of Science and Technology, and professors from Putian University, expert advisers to the Ancestral Temple, directors and supervisors of the Ancestral Temple, directors and supervisors of the academy, and representatives of Mazu cultural institutions and temples from at home and abroad attended the event.
Distinguished Guests
The ceremony opened with the folk-ballad performance "The Beauty of Meizhou." Lin Jinzan, Guo Guohui, and Gong Guanxiong delivered remarks in turn, expressing their earnest hopes for the inheritance and innovation of Mazu culture and the development of the academy. Then, witnessed by guests from all walks of life at the scene, Yu Jianzhong, former vice chairman of the Putian Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and executive vice president of the Chinese Mazu Cultural Exchange Association; Lin Jinzan, vice president of the Chinese Mazu Cultural Exchange Association and chairman of the board of Meizhou Mazu Temple; Lin Pinglan, deputy secretary of the Party Committee of Putian University and dean of the Mazu Culture Research Institute; Guo Guohui, second-level researcher at the Putian Civil Affairs Bureau; Gong Guanxiong, secretary of the Meizhou Party Working Committee; and Lin Qunhua, president of the Putian Meizhou Mazu Academy, jointly unveiled the Meizhou Mazu Academy, announcing its official establishment.
Unveiling Ceremony
Group Photo
After the unveiling ceremony, the Board of Directors of Meizhou Mazu Temple signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Putian University, marking a new stage in the systematic and professional development of Mazu culture research, inheritance, and dissemination. Building on their respective strengths, the two sides will deepen practical cooperation in areas such as academic research on Mazu culture and its living transmission, promote collaboration between universities and local institutions, and advance the integration of industry, education, and research to help drive the creative transformation and innovative development of Mazu culture.
Strategic Cooperation Signing Ceremony
Group Photo
Speech by Lin Jinzan
Lin Jinzan said that the establishment of the Meizhou Mazu Academy is an important initiative by the Meizhou Mazu Temple to promote Mazu culture from ritual inheritance to deeper academic study, and from oral transmission to theoretical refinement. Next, the Ancestral Temple will use the academy as a platform to systematically organize the roots of Mazu culture, cultivate professional talent, and carry out academic seminars, intangible cultural heritage protection, study-tour experiences, and other activities. It is committed to building a high ground for Mazu culture research, a base for spiritual communication, and a spiritual home for Mazu devotees at home and abroad, injecting new vitality and strong momentum into the continual transmission of Mazu culture and helping build a demonstration zone for cross-strait integrated development.
Speech by Guo Guohui
Guo Guohui said that the unveiling of the Meizhou Mazu Academy is a major event for Putian in carrying forward Mazu’s cultural heritage, safeguarding intangible cultural heritage, promoting maritime civilization, and deepening cross-Strait cultural integration. As the birthplace of Mazu culture, Putian is where the Mazu spirit and Putian’s tradition of valuing scholarship coexist and flourish. It serves as an important cultural bridge that sustains the bond between compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait and brings together the shared hometown ties of overseas Chinese communities. He hopes the academy will always uphold Party-building guidance in its educational direction and strive to build a standardized, professional, and branded base for cultural inheritance.
Remarks by Gong Guanxiong
Gong Guanxiong said that Mazu culture has now taken root in 51 countries and regions and has brought together more than 300 million Mazu devotees worldwide. It has not only become a cultural bridge that transcends borders and connects the world, but also an important symbol of the Chinese nation’s cultural confidence. The formal establishment of the Meizhou Mazu Academy is both a key vehicle for safeguarding the roots of Mazu culture and carrying forward its millennia-old cultural lineage, and strong support for bringing China’s fine traditional culture to the wider world stage. It carries major and far-reaching significance.
Live performance
According to reports, the Meizhou Mazu Academy was jointly initiated by the board of directors of the Meizhou Mazu Ancestral Temple and other organizations. Guided by the Mazu spirit of "cultivating virtue, doing good, and embracing great love," it will focus on academic research, intangible cultural heritage protection, talent development, and cultural communication. The academy will build a Mazu culture archive database, publish related journals, carry out applications for intangible cultural heritage recognition and training for inheritors, and revitalize Mazu culture through an integration of online and offline efforts.