Have you heard of this sincere bond of goodwill?
To many people, Mazu is a faith that brings blessings and protection, a cultural bond that crosses the strait, and a warm hope kept deep in the heart.
But in Zhao Liucheng’s world, this faith has long since become a daily practice of steadfast dedication.
He searched far and wide for fine jade, invited experts to carve statues of deities, successively donated several jade statues, and also contributed antique porcelain treasures, while keeping his hometown people in mind and conveying warmth through charitable acts.
For more than ten years, he has never changed his original intention, dedicating himself to Mazu culture and working hard to strengthen ties across the strait.
Fulfilling a Sincere Wish
On May 8, on the eve of the 1,066th anniversary of Mazu's birthday in the Bingwu year, Zhao Liucheng, honorary citizen of Putian and honorary chairman of Meizhou Mazu Temple, donated jade statues of Thousand-Mile Vision and Wind-Following Ear to Meizhou Mazu Temple, continuing a heartwarming bond rooted in Mazu culture and unity across the strait.
From donating a jade Mazu statue in 2013 to donating jade attendant statues again in 2021, the jade statues of Thousand-Mile Vision and Wind-Following Ear are now enshrined at the Ancestral Temple, and he has finally fulfilled, step by step, his sincere wish to revere Mazu.
A Connection with Mazu Culture
In 2009, Zhao Liucheng joined a CPPCC delegation to Taiwan for an inspection visit, and from then on he formed an enduring bond with Mazu culture.
At that time, he did not know much about Mazu culture, but when he witnessed the sincere devotion of believers on both sides of the strait to Mazu, he was deeply moved. The deep reverence of Taiwan's Mazu devotees touched Zhao Liucheng profoundly and made him truly feel Mazu's spirit of "great love." At that moment, the idea suddenly took shape in his mind: to do something for Mazu and contribute what he could.
After returning from Taiwan, he searched everywhere for high-quality jade to carve a sacred Mazu statue, but he could never find a raw stone that was both the right size and of the right quality, and he was deeply troubled by this. Later, after dreaming of Mazu's sacred image, he came across a 50-ton raw violet jade stone in a Myanmar mine by a fortunate coincidence.
He then specially invited the Putian-born master craftsman She Guoping to meticulously carve two jade Mazu statues. In December 2011, after the first statue was consecrated at the Ancestral Temple, an affiliated statue was installed and enshrined at Dajia Jenn Lann Temple in Taiwan; in June 2013, the second jade Mazu statue was formally enshrined at the Meizhou Mazu Temple.
On May 1, 2021, Zhao Liucheng donated two jade attendant statues to the Ancestral Temple. After that, he began planning to create jade statues of Thousand-Mile Vision and Wind-Following Ear. At the time, the situation in Myanmar was unstable, and the transport of high-quality raw stone was blocked, making the search for materials especially difficult. He did not give up and ultimately selected two suitable raw stones from a treasured collection of jade stored in Shanghai.
It took more than ten years to fulfill his original intention.
Staying true to his original intention for more than a decade
Beyond donating jade deity statues, Zhao Liucheng’s acts of charity never stopped.
In July 2018, Lin Jinzan, chairman of the board of directors of the Meizhou Mazu Ancestral Temple, visited Shanghai for exchange and discussion to plan the inheritance and development of Mazu culture. When the renovation plan for the Tianfei Hometown Site Park was mentioned, Zhao Liucheng immediately volunteered and proposed donating his treasured collection of Song dynasty ancient porcelain.
In 2022, he donated 127 treasured Song-dynasty ceramics from his private collection to the Juzhen Hall at the Tianfei Ancestral Site Park, adding a strong cultural depth to the park.
“Mazu is from the Song dynasty, and these bowls are also Song-dynasty bowls. They were discovered in the waters around Meizhou Island, and now they have returned to Meizhou Island. I feel this is very meaningful. It is as if it were a fated connection from more than 20 years ago.”
With deep ties to Mazu's homeland and concern for the well-being of local people, over the years of frequent exchanges and visits, Zhao Liucheng also paid attention to the daily lives of the residents of Meizhou Island. Knowing firsthand how inconvenient it is for grassroots residents to seek medical care, he came to regard solving the difficulty of seeing a doctor for the people of Mazu's homeland as a long-cherished wish.
From June 10 to 11, 2023, Zhao Liucheng took the lead in coordinating resources from many sides and joined hands with his companies and several top-tier hospitals in Shanghai to bring together 12 senior medical experts for a large-scale public welfare clinic on Meizhou Island, which saw a total of 543 patient visits. The following year, from October 26 to 27, another charity clinic themed “Mazu's Great Love, Healing the People” was held in Mazu's homeland. He organized 13 medical experts to take part, effectively helping local residents overcome difficulties in accessing medical care and putting into practice Mazu's principle of benefiting all beings.
Carrying Mazu's great love in his heart
"Mazu is like Lei Feng in ancient times, selflessly devoted and wholly committed to the people," Zhao Liucheng said with emotion. He believes that if everyone practices the Mazu spirit of "cultivating virtue, doing good, and showing great love," society will surely become more harmonious and beautiful.
Holding this conviction close, he has made it his lifelong aspiration to serve as a lifetime volunteer for Mazu. He especially cherishes the honor of being named an honorary citizen of Putian, and has turned that honor into driving force for moving forward. He is determined to carry on and promote Mazu culture, serve cross-strait believers with dedication, and put into practice his original intention of great love.
Speaking about the future, Zhao Liucheng sounded resolute. He said that he will continue to stay true to his original aspiration, deepen the promotion of Mazu culture, explore its contemporary significance, build a bridge for cross-strait cultural exchanges, and do everything he can to help pass on the spirit of "cultivating virtue, doing good, and showing great love" so that the thousand-year-old cultural lineage of Mazu continues without end and the bond of shared roots and shared hearts between compatriots on both sides of the strait grows ever stronger.
