Mazu belief helps mediate disputes

The spirit of Mazu is being used to mediate in disputes on a resort island of Putian, Fujian province, as locals dare not lie in front of the revered sea goddess, judicial officials who introduced the program said.

The Mazu Dispute Mediation Center was established in recent years under the Office of Justice in Meizhou Island.

The island is the birthplace of Mazu culture, which advocates doing good deeds and values such as peace, harmony and inclusiveness.

Yang Yang, director of the office of justice in the township, said: "We use it (Mazu mediation) to guide people involved in disputes to reason, speak the truth and abide by the rules. It has turned out to be effective due to the strong belief in Mazu among local people."

The walls of the mediation room are inscribed with symbols of Mazu culture depicting peace and harmony, and there is a large portrait of the sea goddess.

In front of the portrait is a long table where the parties involved in a dispute sit, along with those taking part in the mediation process, including police officers, court representatives, lawyers and respected citizens.

The mediation process starts with a ritual where all participants stand facing the portrait of Mazu. Both sides are asked whether they are willing to talk under the watchful eye of Mazu, Yang said.

"This ceremonial practice helps create a solemn atmosphere at the beginning and prevents the parties sitting on opposite sides with angry faces. The mediation team then guides them to consider each other's perspective," Yang said.

"Local people have been raised to revere Mazu from a young age, and they rarely lie in her presence," he said, adding that participants are frequently reminded that Mazu is watching them during the process, which encourages them to be virtuous and good.

Yang recalled one difficult case where a man had lied and made inconsistent statements.

The mediation team took him to the Mazu Ancestral Temple, which evoked a more solemn and sacred atmosphere. In this environment, the man started to tell the truth.

Since the launch of the mediation center in 2019, about 200 cases involving family, marriage, land and labor disputes have been resolved. Many were long-standing and a challenge to resolve, even for experienced mediators, he said.

Last year, a similar mediation center was established at a police station in Putian's Xianyou county. Yang said they plan to promote similar mediation in villages to resolve grassroots disputes.

Lin Jinzan, chairman of the Mazu Ancestral Temple's board of directors in Meizhou, said the spirit of the goddess has value in both the past and present. Efforts will be made to improve the influence of Mazu culture and promote its inheritance.

The goddess is considered a guardian of the lives of fishermen and is widely respected in Fujian, Taiwan and overseas, and lies at the heart of numerous beliefs and customs, including religious ceremonies and folk practices.

In May, thousands of devotees from both sides of the Taiwan Strait gathered in Meizhou to celebrate the 1,063rd anniversary of the birth of Mazu and pray for peace.

Locals have even given Mazu a virtual ID number so a plane ticket can be purchased when her statue is taken overseas for ceremonies.

In 2019, when the statue was flown from Xiamen in Fujian to Thailand, it caused a stir among netizens when they discovered that an economy seat was purchased with the virtual ID.