Goddess "Mazu" And Her Two Guardians Flew Business Class From China To Malaysia
Images of the three revered Chinese deity statues went viral on social media after they were seen travelling in business class from China to Malaysia.
By John Lim — 05 Jul 2017, 05:48 PM
A set of images which shows three Chinese deity statues went viral on social media after they were seen travelling in business class from China to Malaysia
Pictures of the statues, which include Chinese sea goddess Mazu, and her guardians, Qian Li Yan and Shun Feng Er, showed them propped up among other passengers on the Xiamen Airlines flight.
The high-flying statues shot to Internet stardom, with over 2,000 likes and 3,000 shares since the pictures were posted by Thean Hou Temple on Facebook over the weekend.
According to news reports, the organiser of the trip bought three business class tickets for the statues - at a cost of 2,091 yuan (RM1,322) each
Temple staff told BBC that the statues were escorted by a delegation of more than 130 people! :O
The temple also explained why it was necessary for the statues to fly business class.
“This is basic respect we have for the culture of Goddess Mazu. They were also more than 6ft high, so they had to fly business class," a spokesman said to the news site.
Who is Mazu?
Mazu, also known as Matsu, is a popular Taoist and Chinese Buddhist goddess. She is the goddess and patroness of the sea. She is believed to protect fisherman and sailors.
Her two guardians, Qian Li Yan and Shun Feng Er, are believed to possess powers like farsightedness and the ability to hear all sounds which help aid sailors and ships to navigate through storms.
Why were these heavenly beings travelling to this part of the world?
The statues were flown in from a temple in Fujian province in China to Malaysia as a cultural-exchange programme.
After the KL pitstop, the statues are scheduled to make an appearance in Melaka and then Singapore before flying back to China.
Meanwhile, some netizens were amused by the images and proceeded to poke fun at the statues
“Do they need international passport?”
"Did Mazu go through the scanning machine?"
Other were quick to lash out, saying that it's inconsiderate and rude to poke fun at religious figures
“Whether you believe in the religion or not, please be respectful. It's the most basic courtesy. Don't joke about it."
"Please don't take this as a joke."