| dc.description.abstract | The purpose of this paper is to analyze the influence of Mazu worship on pre-modern Chinese women from the perspective of women's studies. To achieve this goal, the paper will attempt to conduct an analysis following the structure below. First, this study will attempt to analyze the origin, development, and fluctuations of goddess worship in Chinese history, in a chronological manner. Using Nuwa, Queen Mother of the West, and Mazu as representative figures, it will outline the evolution of the status of goddesses in Chinese history. Secondly, I will focus on Mazu. By elucidating the historical reasons for the appearance of her cult in Putian County, Fujian Province, China through historical documentations and folklore, her image evolution will be further discussed. The spread and the increasing influence of Mazu worship throughout the successive dynastic periods will be illustrated, as well as her transformation from a folk deity to a goddess officially recognized and promoted by the state. Lastly, I will analyze how Mazu, as a goddess, became an official deity in pre-modern China, dominated as it was by Confucian patriarchal thought, breaking the traditional Chinese taboo that women should not interfere in external affairs. Further analysis will be conducted on whether the worship of Mazu had a positive impact on the position of women in pre-modern China and whether it could have a positive significance for women's empowerment. | eng |