Owner Comments:
"The Protector/ Goddess of the Sea" - Mazu (“Mat-Su”) is a girl who supposedly became a goddess. Her story, oddly enough, is said to come down from government edicts, court documents, scriptures, and shipping logs. She is believed to be the most worshipped goddess in the world with about 1,500 active temples and 100 million devotees based on some estimates. According to tradition, when faced with great difficulty, you can simply call her name and she will immediately come to your aid.
The young woman who became the goddess is said to have been Lin Mo Niang. She performed numerous miracles, had a vast knowledge of medicine, was a known healer, instructed the people in how to prevent illness, and quelled storms at see. She is thought to be the protector of all seafaring people. Chinese folklore is filled with stories of her coming to the aid of fishermen during severe storms. From some of the myths, the goddess Kuan Yin answered her mother’s prayer for another daughter and assisted in her conception. The girl had a short life but it was a journey of spiritual enlightenment, which included study at a Buddhist temple, and ended in her elevation to immortality. The story would therefore be expected to be popular among eastern fishermen and followers of the Buddhist faith.
The coin features a fairly traditional and remarkably detailed depiction of the young woman. The artistry of the design is quite simply breath-taking. It really is a work of art. The reverse shows “the Forbidden City” in similar, remarkable, detail. The Forbidden City is the historical palace of the Chinese emperor.
I do not know what the actual motivation was behind the minting of this coin. China produced a number of 1 Oz silver rounds mostly in the late 1980s and 1990s most of which seem primarily directed at celebrating Chinese history and culture.