AdvertisementChina's Leaders Harness Folk Religion For Their AimsJuly 23, 2010Louisa LimfacebookEmailIn China, Mazu, a folk goddess of the sea, has an estimated 160 million followers and 4,000 temples devoted to her. Here, a statue of Mazu from a village temple is paraded around Meizhou Island in southern China's Fujian province during recent birthday celebrations.