Traces of the Sea Goddess: A Digital Humanities Analysis of Mazu Belief and Putian's Maritime Civilization
In 960 AD, a girl was born on the shores of Meizhou Bay in Putian. Her name was Lin Mo. During her short life, she mastered meteorology and healed the sick. After her death, she became a sea goddess. Today, she has 300 million followers worldwide. From one person to 300 million. That’s a thousand-year data chain. I finished reading 42 volumes of Putian local chronicles. What I found: the spread of Mazu belief overlaps almost perfectly with the routes of the Maritime Silk Road. Not a coincidence. Behind every number is a precise lock between faith and commerce. ...