Lin was Mazu’s surname. According to historical records, Mazu was born on March 23, 960A.D. and died on September 9, 987A.D of the lunar calendar, at the age of twenty-eight. Lin, Yuan was the name of Mazu's father. He was the governor of Fu Jian Province at time. Her mother's last name was Wang. Before she gave birth to Mazu, the couple already had six children—one son and five daughters. But their only son was often sick, so the father hoped to have one more son to ensure the continuity of the family name and bloodline. Lin, Yuan was charitable and offered incense to worship gods every day. One night, Mazu’s mother dreamed of the Mercy Buddha and was told that Lin Yuan’s wish will be granted then the Mercy Buddha gave a pill to Wang and she swallowed it. Shortly after her dream, Wang was pregnant. In the evening of March 23 of the lunar calendar in 960A.D., bright lights suddenly shone into Wang’s room and a distinct aroma filled the room. After experiencing labor pain, a baby girl was born. Although the Lin’s were somewhat disappointed, they still loved Mazu dearly because they believed all the unexplainable signs indicated that Mazu was going to be special and different. Since Mazu never cried in her first month of life, her parents named her Mo, which means “silence” in Chinese. Mazu was a smart girl. She started going to school when she was eight. She had excellent memory and comprehension of what she studied. She started chanting Buddhist scripture, burning incense and worshipping Buddhist deities twice a day, every day, starting at the age of ten. She was an obedient daughter, caring sister and friendly neighbor. Every one liked her. At the age of thirteen, a Taoist priest who was old and poorly dressed begged Mazu for alms. Mazu respectfully invited him in and generously gave him what she had. The priest had been to her house more often since then, but Mazu’s kindness and generosity to the priest had never changed. The Taoist priest was deeply touched by her act and instructed her “Xuan Wei Mi Fa” for her to help the others. At the age of sixteen, one day when Mazu was playing with her friends near a well, a ferocious looking deity suddenly rose from the bottom of the well with a Tong Fu – A piece of metal which proves the identity of the deity—in his hand. Every one except Mazu got scared and ran away. With aplomb, Mazu kneeled down and prostrated herself to the deity. The deity gave the Tong Fu to Mazu and disappeared. Since then, Mazu worked harder on practicing Taoism and helped drive out evil spirits for the villagers with her supernatural powers. Because of her beneficence, she was well-known, well-liked and well-respected by all. Mazu turned twenty-eight years old in 987A.D. On September ninth of the lunar calendar, Mazu woke up early in the morning. She dressed beautifully, walked out of her bedroom, and said to her sisters, “Today is Double Ninth Day. I am going to go hiking in the mountains and leave home.” “Sisters, please take care of Mom and Dad and value the time you have with them.” She bowed to her parents for one last time and left. The weather was great and fully blossomed chrysanthemums were everywhere. As she headed to the mountains, sea breeze blown on her face and the sound of wave hitting the rocks turned into melody. Slowly, Mazu reached the top. She stood on a cliff and watched the waves hit the rocks. The sea was calm. Slowly, a big colorful cloud approached Mazu; she stepped on the cloud and rose into the sky. Villagers also heard music and saw many angels with flags and umbrellas surrounded her. Together, they rose and vanished. Since then, a distinct aroma has often pervaded Mei Zhou Island and many of its residents had seen Mazu dressed in red, flying on the sea to rescue people from sea disasters. Countless number of people had been rescued. In order to show their appreciation and respect, the people on the island built a temple on Mountain Mei Yu. They call Mazu “Tong Xian Ling Nyu” and carved “Sheng Tian Gu Ji” on a rock at the top of Mountain Mei Yu.