The legend of Mazu in Huaiyin is a folk literature project in the second batch of representative projects of municipal intangible cultural heritage in Huai'an. Historical origins There is a Mazu temple in the wharf town of Huaiyin District, Huai'an City. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, due to its scale and the degree of attention paid by the royal family, it became one of the four major Mazu temples, along with the Mazu Temple in Meizhou, Fujian, the Mazu Temple in Beigang, Taiwan, and the Mazu Temple in Tianjin. Perhaps people can't help but ask, how could Mazu, who was originally worshipped in coastal areas, "run" to Huaiyin, an inland area of Jiangsu, and become one of the four major Mazu temples in the country? In fact, Mazu not only "protects" maritime transport, but also "shades" inland river transport. As one of the 28 counties established in the Qin Dynasty, and the "five waters meet" in the lower reaches of the Huaihe River, Huaiyin is known as the "flood corridor". As far back as the Song, Yuan, and Ming Dynasties, maritime transport had not yet flourished, and inland river transport became particularly important. At the same time, Huaiyin was the throat of the north-south grain transportation of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, and it has always been valued by the royal family. During the Yuan and Ming dynasties, the Huaihe River repeatedly flooded, and the Yellow River changed its course several times to seize the Huaihe River and the Si River, so Huaiyin often became a swamp. What was more serious was that the Grand Canal, which was used to transport grain from the north to the south, was also destroyed many times and interrupted transportation, which directly affected the tribute millet from southern provinces of my country and could not be transported to the capital on time. For this reason, in the second year of the Yuan Tianli period (1329 AD), Emperor Mingzong of the Yuan Dynasty sent "angels" to conduct an unprecedented pilgrimage in history, which took half a year and traveled nearly 10,000 miles. Along the way, they visited 15 Mazu temples in important ports such as Huai'an, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Shaoxing, Wenzhou, Fuzhou, Meizhou, and Quanzhou, and presented sacrificial texts on behalf of the emperor. In the following 20 years, such high-level sacrifices continued for five times. Zhu Di, the Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty, once prayed to the "God of Mount Tai" (the predecessor of Mazu) in Huaiyin to protect the smooth transportation of grain and the peace of the people, leaving behind the poem "help the weak and the poor, and answer the prayers and listen to the call". For this reason, in the third year of the Zhengde reign of the Ming Dynasty (1508 AD), Emperor Wuzong Zhu Houzhao of the Ming Dynasty rebuilt the Huiji Temple in the Wharf Town of Huaiyin, and enshrined the statue of the "Goddess of Mount Tai", hoping that she could "help the people and benefit the people". In the fourteenth year of the Zhengde reign (1519 AD), he stayed in the temple during his southern tour of Huaiyin. During the Shunzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Shizu conferred the title of "Goddess of Mount Tai" as Tianfei. In the nineteenth year of the Kangxi reign (1680 AD), Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty visited Huaiyin and stayed in Wharf Town. He specially conferred the title of "Goddess of Heaven, Protecting the Country and the People, Wonderful Spirit, Zhaoying, Hongren, and Universal Benevolence" on Mazu enshrined in the Huiji Temple. This was the first time in the history of my country that an emperor officially promoted Tianfei and conferred the title of "Goddess". In Huaiyin, many people still stubbornly call the Mazu worshipped in Huiji Temple "Niangniang" or "Nai Nai" instead of Mazu, and call Huiji Temple "Niangniang Temple" or "Nai Nai Temple" instead of Mazu Temple. In the fifth year of Yongzheng's reign in the Qing Dynasty (1727 AD), Emperor Shizong conferred the title of "Queen of Heaven, Holy Mother Bixia Yuanjun" on the Mazu worshipped in Huiji Temple. In the 22nd year of Qianlong's reign in the Qing Dynasty (1757 AD), Emperor Gaozong, during his third visit to Huiji Temple in Huaiyin Wharf Town during his southern tour to regulate the Huai River, conferred the title of "Queen of Heaven, Protecting the Country and the People, Wonderful Spirit, Zhaoying, Hongren, Puji, Fuyou, and Chenggan Xianfu" on the Mazu worshipped in Huiji Temple. The ruins of the Huiji Temple are attested by the stele of Emperor Qianlong's reconstruction of the Huiji Temple, the inscription of which reads: "The clear river bank was renovated in the second year of Yongzheng's reign, and the spirits of Confucius were blessed. Those who passed by the temple offered wine and were respectful. In the sixteenth year of Qianlong's reign, I toured the southern part of the province and paid homage to the temple. I respectfully wished that the gods would bless me and reward me, so I ordered the officials to decorate the temple." Mr. Zhang Xuhou, a famous historian in the Republic of China, recorded in his book "Huaiyin Customs": "The Huiji Temple was built in the Zhengde period of the Ming Dynasty. In the 16th year of Emperor Qianlong's reign in the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Gaozong went on a tour to the south and built a temporary palace to the left of the temple. He ordered it to be rebuilt in the style of the inner palace of the imperial palace. The fireballs shone in the sun and the flying pavilions soared into the sky. Although it was in the suburbs, it had the beauty of the imperial residence. The main hall enshrined the statue of the Holy Mother of Heaven. It was said that there was a temple fair every year and on April 7th, so the walls were smoky and burned, and the red and lacquer could not be distinguished. The sleeping palace was on the seal incense building behind the hall. There were sitting and sleeping statues. Behind it was the Sanqing Pavilion. The ground was high and the wind was strong. There were sails on the two rivers and waves on the three gates. When you get here, you can completely pass through the front hall again. You can see a boat hanging on the wall. Although it is small, the masts are intact. Whenever there is a big storm in the sea, if the person is not dead, the Holy Mother will take this boat into the sea to save him. It can be seen that the legend about Mazu that is widely circulated in the local area has appeared at least in the Qing Dynasty. To this day, there are still many little-known legends about Mazu circulating in Huaiyin and other places. Main content The legend of Mazu in Huaiyin is mainly spread in Huaiyin District, Huai'an City, especially in Wharf Town, Huaiyin District, and there are many versions. The main ones collected and sorted out now are the following: First: "Legend of Lin Sanniang's Immortality" It is said that a long time ago, there was a family surnamed Lin in Wharf Town, Huaiyin. The family consisted of five people: an old couple, two sons and one daughter. The father and his son made a living by fishing on Hongze Lake all year round. The daughter, the third child, was called Sanniangniang. Sanniangniang was already 29 years old this year, but she was obsessed all day long. It would be fine if she didn't know how to do housework, and she couldn't even cook. One day, Sanniangniang's father and brother went out of Huiji Gate to Hongze Lake to fish, and Sanniangniang stayed at home with her mother to learn how to do housework. But before she had sewn a few stitches on the soles, Sanniangniang dozed off and wanted to sleep. Mother Lin was very angry when she saw it, and rushed up and slapped Sanniangniang on the head, knocking the soles in Sanniangniang's hand to the ground. After being awakened by the slap, Sanniang kept crying and sobbing, saying, "It's over, it's over, Shu Yuhan was drowned in the stern." Mother Lin was very angry and thought Sanniang was talking nonsense, so she didn't take it to heart. But Sanniang kept pestering Mother Lin and crying, "You killed Shu Yuhan, you killed Shu Yuhan." Mother Lin couldn't get enough of it, so she asked her daughter why she said that. So Sanniang said that a sudden strong wind blew on Hongze Lake, and the lake water was raised by huge waves two or three people high, and the boat where her father and brother were was turned upside down. Sanniang heard the news and immediately went to salvage her father and brother who fell into the water. Just as she held her two brothers under her armpits and swam to the shore with her hands holding her father, her mother slapped her father away. Mother Lin became even more angry after hearing this, and went to visit her neighbors and no longer paid attention to Sanniang's nonsense. When it got dark, the two brothers came back with sad faces and told about what they had experienced on Hongze Lake, which was exactly the same as Sanniangniang's "nonsense". The family was very sad, but even so, no one took Sanniangniang's "nonsense" seriously. After several years, no one came to the Lin family to propose marriage, so Sanniangniang never got married. One night, the whole family sat together for dinner, and Sanniangniang said to her mother and two brothers quietly: "Tomorrow morning, there will be a cloud of good fortune covering the roof of my house, and a sedan chair will come down from the cloud to take me to heaven." The mother and two brothers thought Sanniangniang was talking nonsense again, so no one paid attention to her. The next morning, a cloud of good fortune really floated from the southwest and covered the roof of the Lin family. A sedan chair really fell from the cloud and landed at the door of the Lin family. Sanniangniang bid farewell to her mother and brothers with tears in her eyes, and reluctantly got on the sedan chair and ascended to heaven. Only then did Sanniangniang's mother and brother know that Sanniangniang had never said anything nonsense. Although they were reluctant, they could only look at the auspicious clouds that were gradually going away and watch Sanniangniang go away. After Sanniangniang ascended to heaven and became an immortal, she was concerned about the people in this area and did many good deeds for the boat people. No matter whose boat encountered a storm on the lake, as long as they prayed to Sanniangniang, a bright light would immediately appear in front of them to guide the suffering boat people forward, and they would be saved from danger and turn disaster into blessing. For this reason, in order to thank Sanniangniang, the local people built a temple called Niangniang Temple near Sanniangniang's home in Taishan Village, Wharf Town, and sculpted a statue of Sanniangniang to commemorate her. Second: "Legend of Niangniang Temple" Niangniang Temple is also called Grandma Temple, Tianfei Temple, and Tiegu Temple. Legend has it that during the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, the Hongze Lake thief "Shui Shangpiao" had the ability to steal the sky. He actually sneaked into the palace and abducted Qianlong's most beloved sister Yulan out of the palace, took her back to Huaiyin, and hid her in the lake on the side of the Gaojiayan embankment in the wharf town of Hongze Lake. The imperial sister Yulan was abducted, and Qianlong was humiliated. He vowed to find his sister back, so he went on a private visit in disguise and inquired all the way to Huaiyin. Who knew that this Hongze Lake thief "Shui Shangpiao" not only did not know how to restrain himself, but also was complacent, showing off everywhere, and telling everyone that the current emperor was his brother-in-law. As a result, when Qianlong came to Huaiyin, he found the imperial sister Yulan, who was already three months pregnant, in a very beautiful cabin without any effort, and dispatched troops to kill "Shui Shangpiao". Just when Qianlong wanted to take the imperial sister Yulan back to the palace, the minister Ji Xiaolan advised against it and stopped Qianlong from taking Yulan back to Beijing. Qianlong was a very smart person, so he naturally understood Ji Xiaolan's intention. Although he was reluctant, he had no choice but to order Yulan to be executed. Yulan knew that she could not escape death under the extremely strict feudal ethics at that time, so she resolutely climbed up the Gaojiayan embankment and threw herself into the lake. Qianlong always blamed himself and felt sad when he thought of the death of his sister Yulan. He thought that he had not fulfilled his obligations as a brother. He had to pass through Huaiyin many times during his southern tours, and built a palace next to the Gaojiayan embankment in Wharf Town where Yulan threw herself into the lake, so that he could pay tribute. Local officials and wealthy people knew Qianlong's intentions. In order to commemorate the sister Yulan, they raised funds to build a magnificent ancestral temple in Wharf Town, and placed two large iron drums in front of the ancestral temple, named it Niangniang Temple, and also known as the "Iron Drum Temple". Since the Niangniang Temple was built, people hoped that the sister Yulan could bless the boat people's water transportation safety, and came to burn incense one after another. It is said that after the imperial sister Yulan passed away and became a god, she always responded to the requests of those who came to burn incense, and her wishes were fulfilled, so the Niangniang Temple was constantly popular. Because the pronunciation of Huaiyin people is very different from that of northerners, they often say "Niangniang Temple" as "Nanny Temple", so "Niangniang Temple" is also called "Nanny Temple". Third: "The Legend of Mazu's Dream of Qianlong Building the Three Huiji Sluices" According to legend, in the summer of the first year of Qianlong's reign in the Qing Dynasty, heavy rains continued, the Yellow River seized the Si River and the Huai River, and broke through the canal embankment, blocking the royal water transport from south to north. At that time, the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal was the economic lifeline connecting the north and the south, which made the local officials in Huaiyin anxious, and even more anxious for the court. For this reason, local officials reported to the court one after another, requesting the emperor to issue an order to stop the rain on the spot. At this time, the emperor responded to every request and immediately issued an order: all means can be taken to stop the heavy rain. But all kinds of methods of praying for rain to stop were tried, but not only did there not seem to be any improvement, but the floods became bigger and bigger, and the fertile land of the lower reaches of the Huaihe River became a swamp. But strangely, the floods were raging everywhere, but the Niangniang Temple in Wharf Town (that is, the Huiji Temple where the statue of Mazu was enshrined) was not affected at all. Although the floods rolled and roared in front of the Niangniang Temple, they did not dare to cross the line. After seeing this scene, local officials immediately reported to the emperor and asked Emperor Qianlong to go to Huaiyin to worship Mazu. Qianlong had just ascended the throne of the emperor not long ago, and was afraid that the world would not be peaceful. Hearing this, he did not dare to neglect it and immediately led the civil and military ministers to go there in person. The scene was magnificent, the scene was grand, the tribute was abundant, the number of people was large, the layout was extravagant, and the worship was pious. It was unprecedented. It is said that Mazu was deeply moved and appeared in Qianlong's dream that night: "The flood in Huaiyin this time is both a natural disaster and man-made. The disaster is caused by the accumulated evil of people. Since the emperor intends to relieve the harm to the people, I should pray for God's mercy. The Sishui River, the Yellow River, the Huaihe River and the Grand Canal meet in the town of Wharf. The water flows rapidly at the intersection. Passing ships are all very cautious. If you are not careful, the ship will be destroyed and people will die. God is punishing you, do you know? If you can open Mopan Bay in this area, extend the length of the river and ease the water flow. In addition, you have to build more sluices to control the water level. In floods, it is convenient to discharge floodwaters; in droughts, it is conducive to irrigation. There are no harm and a hundred benefits, why not do it, Your Majesty?" Qianlong had a dream and immediately summoned civil and military officials to the palace to discuss countermeasures. Finally, he decided to fully adopt Mazu's "suggestions" and quickly build more sluices at the intersection of the four rivers. As a result, a series of world-renowned large-scale water conservancy projects, such as the "Z"-shaped river channel that combines river management, Huaihe River diversion, and transportation, and the Huiji, Tongji, and Fuxing three gates and the Gaojiayan levee, were born successively at the Huaiyin wharf. During the flood season, the water level of Huiji Gate in the Ming and Qing Dynasties was four feet lower than that of the gate, and the water level of Tongji Gate and Fuxing Gate was more than three feet higher than that of the gate, with a total water level difference of more than ten feet. The three gates' restriction on water flow greatly eased the speed of water flow, which was conducive to navigation and flood discharge. On the other hand, the water level rises in summer and autumn and dries up in winter and spring, and the three gates also play a role in controlling the water level, which is conducive to maintaining navigation all year round and irrigation of farmland on both sides of the river. In addition, there are legends related to Mazu or Mazu Temple, such as "Legend of Wu Tang praying for rain", "Legend of stealing bricks and giving birth to a child", "Legend of Fengguan Stone and Fortune Stone". The rise and fall of Huaiyin Mazu Temple According to historical records: the rise and fall of Huiji Temple is closely related to the rise and fall of water transportation. In ancient times, there was neither air transport nor railways, and land transport was extremely underdeveloped. The Grand Canal, which connected the northern and southern provinces, became the most smooth "thoroughfare" for transportation in the country. The "Stele of the Reconstruction of Huiji Temple by Emperor Qianlong" states: "The affairs of state are most important to the river and the canal, and the two must complement each other. Tracing back to the north-south transportation route of the previous dynasty, the route upstream against the river was more than 500 miles. In the Ming Dynasty, the V River was opened to avoid the danger of the Yellow River for 300 miles. During the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Yue Dynasty, the Zao River was opened to connect the V River, and the Zhong River was opened to connect the Zao River. The canal ships left Qingkou, cut off the flow to the north and entered the Zhong River, and floated on the Yellow River for only seven miles, thus avoiding the danger of the Yellow River for 500 miles. The benefits of the canal were never greater than at this time." This shows the grand occasion of the "thoroughfare". However, in the late Qing Dynasty, around the fifth year of Emperor Xianfeng's reign (1855 AD), the Yellow River broke through the Huai River again, the Grand Canal was blocked and destroyed, loess accumulated in the river channel, and the canal boats were stranded around the Huiji Temple. For this reason, the Qing government had to resume sea transportation, and then the Beijing-Shanghai Railway, which ran through the north and south, was built and opened to traffic. As a result, the fate of the Huiji Temple and the canal transportation plummeted and fell into decline. During the Republic of China period, wars were frequent, and the Huiji Temple suffered from the wars and became devastated. During the Cultural Revolution, the Huiji Temple, which was already in ruins, "collapsed" amid the voices of "breaking the four olds and establishing the four new". Today, we have no way of knowing what the Huaiyin Mazu Temple looks like, and can only get a glimpse of the former style of the Huiji Temple from sporadic documents. The legend of Mazu in Huaiyin has certain historical and cultural value, and the Huaiyin Mazu Temple (i.e. Huiji Temple) and the imperial stele for the reconstruction of Huiji Temple during the Qianlong period play an irreplaceable role in studying the history of water transport culture and promoting the development of local tourism economy. The Huiji Temple, which is related to the legend, is located 1 km northeast of Wharf Town, Huaiyin District, Huai'an City, and 10 km from the urban area of Huai'an. It was built in the second year of Zhengde in the Ming Dynasty (1507 AD), and is known as the "Grandma Temple", "Iron Drum Temple" and "Tianfei Temple" among the people. In ancient times, the wharf was a place where five rivers converged and three gates stood side by side. It was also an important place for water transport. In its heyday, 1.5 million shi of grain were transported annually. Tianfei has always been regarded as the patron saint of fishermen and respected as "Mazu". In the 16th year of Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty (1751 AD), Emperor Gaozong went on a southern tour and built a temporary palace on the left side of the temple. It was rebuilt by imperial order, renovated in imitation of the inner palace temple and renamed "Huiji Temple". Therefore, the temple has the beauty of the imperial residence. The temple covers an area of 40 mu. Every New Year and the seventh day of the fourth lunar month (the day for worshipping Mazu), there is an endless stream of people coming to the temple to burn incense and worship Buddha. Although Huiji Temple was highly respected in the first half of the Qing Dynasty, it gradually faded out of people's sight after Daoguang due to the decline of water transport and the change of river channels, which led to the decline of the status of the canal. During the Republic of China, Huiji Temple still had 99 and a half houses, with a grand scale, majestic atmosphere, and a large number of pilgrims. After experiencing floods and wars, Huiji Temple was finally completely destroyed during the "Cultural Revolution". Today, only the "Imperial Stele for the Reconstruction of Huiji Temple" is left alone on the site of Huiji Temple. However, the profound cultural connotation of Huiji Temple still attracts countless good men and women at home and abroad to come and worship, and pilgrims are still endless, and from time to time there are compatriots from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao, Japan, South Korea and other countries who go to worship.