Profile | Why China actress is worshipped as sea goddess Mazu in China, many believe Liu Tao is living protector of seafarers
- 10th century woman, predicts weather, saves from disasters, becomes deity
- Actress plays legend on TV, many locals insist she is real Mazu
Ask people from Fujian province in southeastern China who their favourite celebrity is, it is almost certain the answer will be Liu Tao.
The 45-year-old actress is seen in Fujian as a living Mazu, the sea deity worshipped in the coastal province, after she played her in the eponymously titled 2012 Chinese television drama.
Legend has it that Mazu is a young woman who lived in the area in the 10th century. She could predict the weather and protect fishermen from disasters.
She is said to have died trying to rescue people from shipwrecks, then ascended to heaven and became a deity.
Fujian people’s reverence for Mazu is legendary. There are many taboos when it comes to worshipping the deity at temples, such as not exposing skin, not commenting on images and not looking around while kneeling before her.
Mazu is so respected that many police stations in the province have named their mediation rooms after her because they believe Fujian people do not lie in front of Mazu.
