Quanzhou, Fujian, May 7th (by Wu Guanbiao) "Taking the culture of Baosheng Dadi as a bridge, the believers on both sides of the Taiwan Strait in Fujian and Taiwan have frequent exchanges and are as close as family members." In the eyes of Li Dongsheng, the chairman of the board of directors of the Huaqiao Ciji Palace in Quanzhou, Fujian, the folk custom cultures on both sides of the Taiwan Strait in Fujian and Taiwan have the same origin and are inherited in one continuous line.
On the 7th, the folk activity of "Procession and Patrolling of Baosheng Dadi around the Territory" jointly sponsored by the Huaqiao Ciji Palace and the Ciji Palace in Xuejia, Tainan, Taiwan, was held in Quanzhou. Believers from palaces and temples in Fujian, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and other places gathered to jointly worship Baosheng Dadi and exchange Baosheng culture. "This is also the first time in nearly 400 years that the Huaqiao Ciji Palace has held a territorial-circling activity." Li Dongsheng said.
The belief in Baosheng Dadi originated from Wu Ben, a famous doctor in the Northern Song Dynasty. He had superb medical skills and was kind-hearted and dedicated to helping the world. After his death, he was posthumously conferred as the Great Taoist Master and Baosheng Dadi by the imperial court. Huaqiao in Quanzhou was the place where Wu Ben practiced medicine before his death, so the Huaqiao Ciji Palace, which was first built during the Shaoxing period of the Song Dynasty, is also one of the ancestral temples of the Baosheng Dadi temples.
In Taiwan, Baosheng Dadi is the second largest folk belief after Mazu, with hundreds of branch temples and millions of believers.
Ding Jiajing from Yunlin, Taiwan, is the leader of the Taiwan Youth League in this activity. Regarding Fujian, he feels both novel and intimate. "There are a total of 20 people in our youth league, and most of them are coming to Fujian for the first or second time. The belief in Baosheng Dadi has given us a platform to understand the historical and cultural origin between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait and the current development situation of the mainland. This is a great experience. In the future, we also hope to have more such cultural exchange opportunities." (End)