A grand cultural festival celebrating the sea goddess Chen Jinggu was held on March 10 in Fuzhou, capital city of Southeast China's Fujian province.

The festival, which celebrates its eleventh edition this year, features an array of activities such as singing and dancing by artists from both the mainland and Taiwan.

Chen Jinggu is a goddess who occupies a position as important as the sea goddess, Matsu, in the province. Legend has it that Chen Jinggu was a female shaman who had been bestowed with supernatural powers. During a severe drought in Fujian, she performed magic rituals to save lives, despite being pregnant, which led to her demise due to sheer fatigue. She has been worshiped as a guardian of pregnant women and children ever since.

After thousands of years of inheritance, the folklore belief of Chen Jinggu has become an important part of local culture and extended great influence on Chinese communities around the world.

Statistics show that the number of believers has reached 100 million, of whom 15 million are from Taiwan. In 2008, Chen Jinggu’s folklore belief was listed as one of the national intangible cultural heritages.

Dragon dance is staged during the cultural festival celebrating the sea goddness Chen Jinggu in Fuzhou, Fujian province. [Photo/Xinhua]