In religiously cosmopolitan Taiwan, Sea Goddess Mazu enjoys the largest following. This book describes the growth of a young artist as she joins Mazu pilgrimages, paints religious idols, accompanies temple idols on sacred journeys, and shares everyday life with her divine protector.

Following the spiritual and creative blossoming of artist Huang Chu-Ping, Walk with Mazu opens a rare window into the Mazu faith as practiced in Taiwan today. The author conveys in thoughtful words and delicately executed illustrations the merits, insights, and stories gleaned from fifteen years of Mazu pilgrimages and visits to over two-hundred Mazu temples. More than a religious testimonial, this introspective work reflects one woman’s quest to project goodness into every aspect of the human experience.

This work is divided into four chapters: Seeking, Creating, Settling In, and Traveling. “Seeking” opens on her chance encounter with Mazu worship as a young, rudderless college senior and narrates the whirlwind of experiences and encounters associated with her early Mazu pilgrimages, including a very memorable round-the-island pilgrimage on foot. In “Creating”, Huang invests faith into her creative efforts, painting over two-hundred illustrations of Mazu while circling Taiwan on foot that are subsequently exhibited and published to share Mazu culture with a larger audience. “Settling In” plumbs her thoughts and experiences as an artist-in-residence at various places forging connections with local cultural and artistic communities. The final chapter, “Traveling” memorializes her travels with a Mazu idol to temples across Taiwan as well as in Japan and Bhutan, showing how religion not only reflects shared human values but can also promote cross-cultural communication and camaraderie.

Following the author on her journey of self-exploration and discovery, this unembellished, touching narrative offers substantive insights into Taiwanese folk culture and history. The author’s empathetic, artistic perspective on the cultural reverberations of Mazu religion and worship shows how religious mores may offer a psychological salve for the confusion and disquiet of modern society.