Beijing is increasingly leveraging the worship of the sea goddess Mazu to promote political narratives of shared Chinese heritage and unification with Taiwan.

The sea goddess Mazu is one of Taiwan's most widely worshipped deities, with over 1 million people participating in annual pilgrimages across the island. While these traditions have deep historical roots, the Chinese government is now attempting to exploit the religious practice for political ends. Beijing frames the worship of Mazu as evidence that Taiwan and China are part of a single family, using religious exchanges to advance its goal of national unification.

Religious Lineage and Political Narratives

The Chinese state promotes the Meizhou Mazu Temple in Fujian as the original birthplace of the deity and the ancestral site for Mazu worship. This effort relies on the concept of fenling, a ritual where spiritual energy is transferred from an older statue to a new one, creating a lineage relationship. Beijing uses this religious connection to argue that Taiwanese temples and their communities ultimately belong to a China-centered origin point.

Concerns Over Influence Operations

Taiwanese officials and researchers warn that Beijing is transforming religious exchanges into tools for political ideology. The Mainland Affairs Council stated that China provides free or below-market hospitality to Taiwanese participants to facilitate these influence efforts. In response, the Taiwanese government has urged religious groups to register trips to China in advance and monitors potential violations of the Cross-Strait Relations Act.