Chen Jinggu
| Chen Jinggu | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 臨水夫人 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 临水夫人 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Chen Jinggu (simplified Chinese: 陈靖姑; traditional Chinese: 陳靖姑; pinyin: Chén Jìnggū) is a Chinese protective goddess of women, children, and pregnancy, and is believed by her worshippers to be a former Taoist priestess. She is also known as Lady Linshui (臨水夫人 Linshui furen).
Chen Jinggu is a deity worshipped in Fujian, Taiwan, South China, and across East and Southeast Asia. The legend of Chen Jinggu originated in Fuzhou prefecture. She was also a Taoist priestess of the Lushan School (閭山派). She was virtuous and was worshipped as a goddess after her death. She was acquainted in mediumship or spirit channeling.
Taiwan has more than 130 temples dedicated to Chen, and Fujian has many ancestral temples dedicated to her as well. Today, she is revered as a Taoist and Confucian deity.