China News Service, Ningde, March 24th (Zheng Wenmin) Mr. Lin sent "blessings", staff puppet show, dragon parade... On the 23rd, the 2024 Mr. Lin Intangible Cultural Heritage blessing event and the driving ceremony of Mr. Lin's golden statue to be installed in Taiwan were held It was held in Shanyang Village, Makeng Township, Zhouning County, Ningde City, Fujian Province. More than 10,000 believers from Fujian and Taiwan came to visit Lin Gong and pray for blessings together.
On March 23, the Golden Body of Mr. Lin left for Taiwan and the enthronement ceremony was held in Zhouning County, Fujian. Photo by Zheng Wenmin
Taiwanese compatriot Zhan Rude who came to participate in the event said that he was very shocked when he experienced the custom of praying for Lin Gong in eastern Fujian. He hoped that Lin Gong culture could play a greater role in enhancing the family ties and well-being of compatriots in the two places.
Lin Gong, formerly known as Lin Zugen, was tall and brave during his lifetime. He was good at using herbal medicine to treat diseases and save people, hunt tigers and beasts, and protect the peace of the country. He enjoyed high prestige among the people. After Duke Lin passed away, the people felt his kindness and built a pagoda to worship him. In the eighth year of Chenghua in the Ming Dynasty (1472), Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty granted Lin Zugen the title of "King Lin Gong Zhongping". In the eighth year of the Zhengde reign of the Ming Dynasty (1513), the villagers of Shanyang Village raised funds to build the Prince Zhongping Hall of Lin Gong.
For more than 500 years, the incense in Lingong Zhongping Wangzu Palace has become more and more popular, and it has spread throughout the entire eastern Fujian and has spread to Nanping, Wenzhou, Fuzhou, Taiwan, Singapore and other places. In 2013, Lin Gong Zhongping Wang Zudian was listed as a national key cultural relic protection unit. In 2019, the custom of praying for Lin Gong in eastern Fujian (Zhou Ning) was selected into the sixth batch of provincial intangible cultural heritage representative lists.
A dragon dance performance was held at the driving ceremony. Photo by Zheng Wenmin
As the birthplace of Lin Gong culture, in recent years, Zhouning County has used Lin Gong as a mediator to continuously strengthen exchanges and cooperation with Taiwan in the inheritance of traditional culture and the protection of intangible cultural heritage. During the blessing event, a symposium on Lin Gong culture was held. People from Zhou Ning and Taiwan provided suggestions and suggestions on the inheritance and protection of Lin Gong culture, the construction of Lin Gong cultural brand, and cross-strait cultural exchanges. "We will promote Lin Gong's culture in Taiwan through a series of popular cultural forms and contents," said Taiwanese compatriot He Yiru.
The Southern Lion's performance attracted crowds of spectators to cheer. Photo by Zheng Wenmin
As night falls, the lanterns are lit, salutes are fired, gongs and drums roar, and the golden body of Mr. Lin sets off for Taiwan to sit down. The relevant person in charge of Zhouning County said that they will use this as a new starting point to give full play to the role of Lin Gong's cultural link and actively integrate into the construction of the cross-strait integrated development demonstration zone. (over)