Page 724 - The Encyclopedia of Taoism v1_A-L

682. THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF TAOISM A-L

Linshui furen

The Lady at the Water's Edge

Lady Linshui has for 1,000 years been one of the most popular deities in south
China. Also known as Defending Maiden Chen (ChenJinggu Ij!;lU'8Prli) and
Fourteenth Damsel Chen (Chen Shisi niangniang I~ --j. [J] PlUf-!), she continues
to be worshipped throughout much of the region, especially Zhejiang, Fujian,
and Taiwan. Her hagiography contains complex and striking symbolism
about gender roles, their reversal, and their inevitability. Most texts state that
when the officials and people of Quanzhou ~ HI (Fujian) were unable to raise
money to build a bridge, the bodhisattva Guanyin 1\1. ~ transformed herself
into a beautiful maiden, embarked on a small boat, and offered to marry any
man who could hit her with an ingot of silver thrown from the water's edge.
She raised a large sum of money, which landed in the boat, until the Taoist
immortal *Lii Dongbin helped a merchant hit one strand of her hair with a
speck of silver powder. The hair fell into the water and floated away. Guanyin
then bit her finger, and a drop of blood fell into the water and also floated
away, whereupon she vanished. Distraught at having lost his future bride, the
merchant committed suicide. The drop of blood floated down the river, and
was swallowed by a woman washing clothes in the river, Lady Ge (Ge furen
1Jlj -j;( A; another "lady at the water's edge"), who had married into the Chen
family but failed to produce any children. She became pregnant, and gave birth
to Chen Jinggu (Lady Linshui). The hair turned into a female white snake,
which ravished handsome males and devoured women she considered to be
her rivals. The merchant's soul was sent to be reincarnated as Liu Qi ~HG,
Lady Linshui's future husband.
Chen grew up to be a beautiful and talented young woman, but refused
marriage to Liu Qi and fled to Mount Lii (Liishan r,,1 ill, Jiangxi), where she
studied ritual techniques under the tutelage of the renowned Taoist immortal
*Xu Xun, learning everything except the art of protecting pregnancy. She could
not escape her destiny, however, eventually marrying Liu Qi and becoming
pregnant. When the northern Fujian region began to suffer from a serious
drought, the people asked her to perform a ritual to bring rain. In order to do
so, she had to temporarily abort her fetus, which was then devoured by the
white snake. She died of a hemorrhage (or miscarriage), sacrificing her life-
giving blood in order to provide life-giving water for the people, but before
her death was able to kill the snake with her sword.