Source: http://www.chinatimes.com/realtimenews/20170403003383-260415
A "Madu Mania" wave swept across the province in March. Although Puli is a mountain city, it boasts vibrant temple worship and miraculous deities. The "Grand Ma" statue, which crossed the sea from the Meizhou Tianhou Palace in Fujian to Taiwan, resides at Hengji Palace in Puli. The Puli Tianhou Palace also enshrines a Mazu statue, blessing the residents of the mountain city. Both Mazu temples scheduled grand processions for the 15th, making it a highly anticipated local event.

The "Meizhou Grand Ma" statue at Puli Hengji Palace was respectfully invited from the Meizhou Tianhou Palace by Mr. Chen Ruifen, the general manager of Xiamen, during the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty. Years ago, Hengji Palace asserted that while other Mazu temples across the region were spirit-branches of the Second, Third, Fourth, or Fifth Ma from Meizhou, theirs was the direct lineage of the Meizhou Grand Ma. This claim sparked a significant controversy among Mazu temples province-wide, with debates over who held the authentic lineage from the original ancestral temple.

Legend has it that during a drought in the ninth lunar month of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty, the Mountain God Mazu led a procession to the source of the Donglu River, discovering abundant mountain springs. Consequently, a month-long Mazu blessing festival is held every ninth lunar month, known as the "Dapu City September Opera," which differs from the common Taiwanese custom of "March Madu Mania" and is quite unique.

To prevent extravagance and waste, the government later abolished the month-long procession, causing the bustling scenes of that September to fade. This year, Hengji Palace will hold a one-day grand procession on the 19th of the third lunar month, celebrating Mazu's birthday.

Puli Tianhou Palace also selected April 15th (Lunar March 19th) to host the "Mazu Cultural Festival." The event features a thousand-person pilgrimage, a grand procession praying for the well-being of ten thousand people, and the traditional "crawling under the sedan chair" ritual for blessings. Mazu cultural lectures will also be held to help locals understand Puli's Mazu heritage. In response to environmental protection, the walking procession will not burn joss paper, set off firecrackers, or launch fireworks to avoid impacting air quality.