Definition of "Mazu"
Mazu
proper noun
A Chinese sea goddess, the deified form of Lin Moniang, a medieval Fujianese girl who became revered as a sea goddess and, since the Qing dynasty, especially in Taiwan, more generally as the primary goddess of Heaven.
Quotations
The goddess of the sea is Ma-tsoo-po, called also Teen-how, ‘queen of heaven.’ She is said to have been a virgin, who lived some centuries ago in Fuhkeen, near the district of Fuh-chow On account of having, with great fortitude, and by a kind of miracle, saved her brother who was on the point of drowning, she was deified, and loaded with titles, not dissimilar to those bestowed on the Virgin Mary.]
, volume I, number 2, Canton, page 58
Taiwan’s first Mazu temple, dating back to the 14th century, can be found here, along with the ancient West Fort Sitai (Xitai) on Siyu (Xiyu) and a wealth of restored houses in the southern Fujian architectural style.
2007, Phil Macdonald, “Strait Islands”, in Taiwan, 2nd edition (Travel), National Geographic Society, page 192, column 1
proper noun
Alternative form of Matsu (archipelago).
Quotations
According to the public notice issued by China, the sphere of the joint ground, sea and air exercise started from Nanri Island in the south and ended in the sea area opposite Jiangtian in the north, covering a sea area of approximately 6,000 square kilometres. It was only 30 kilometres away from the Taiwan-controlled Mazu Islands [Matsu].
2001, Sheng Lijun, China's Dilemma: The Taiwan Issue, I.B. Tauris, page 30
The Mazu and Penghus Defense Commands each contains two infantry brigades, artillery support units, and an Amphibious Reconnaissance company. Additionally, a radar surveillance and missile complex is reportedly located on Tungyin Island, in the Mazus, and a similar facility in the Penghus.
2006, Bernard D. Cole, “Taiwan Army”, in Taiwan's Security: History and prospects, Routledge, page 93
In August 1958 a serious crisis erupted again in the Taiwan Strait. This time the Chinese communists subjected the island of Jinmen (Quemoy) and the Mazu (Matsu) archipelago in the Taiwan Strait to a powerful bombardment. At the time one-third of Chiang Kai-shek’s ground forces were stationed there.
2023, Alexander V. Pantsov, “Under Washington's Wing”, in Steven I. Levine, transl., Victorious in Defeat: The Life and Times of Chiang Kai-shek, China, 1887-1975, Yale University Press, page 462
Alternative form of Matsu (island).
Quotations
The Nationalists used their control of offshore islands in a harassing blockade of China's central and southeast coasts. The Dachen Islands, two hundred miles south of Shanghai, interfered with trade to China's most important port. Mazu Island blocked the sea lanes to Fuzhou in Fujian Province, and Jinmen (Quemoy) blocked Fujian's second port of Xiamen.
1989, Harvey W. Nelsen, “The View from Beijing: 1950-1960”, in Power and Insecurity: Beijing, Moscow, and Washington, 1949–1988, Lynne Rienner Publishers, page 38
Situated outside the mouth of the Min River, the Mazu Islands form the northern anchor of the offshore defence line commanding the Min River. The main island of the complex is Nankan, more commonly known as Mazu, from the name of the major port of the island. It is 114 nautical miles north-west of Keelung, the port city on the northern tip of Taiwan, and is the same distance north of the Jinmen Islands. Other major islands of the group are Peikan, Kaoteng, Tungyin, Hsiyin, Tungchu and Hsichu. Nankan is the largest, with an area of 10.4 square kilometres.
2000 May, Keyuan Zou, “Redefining the Legal I Status of the Taiwan Strait”, in The International Journal of Marine and Coastal Law, volume 15, number 2, page 247