From Mountains and Forests to the Seas: The Maritime Spread of the Sanping Patriarch Belief

As a representative form of popular religion in southern Fujian (Minnan 闽南), the Sanping Patriarch (Sanping Zushi 三平祖師) belief exhibits distinct transregional and cross-cultural characteristics in its dissemination across Taiwan and Southeast Asia. Taking the ancestral temples in Fujian 福建 as a point of departure, this article systematically analyzes the transmission routes and localization strategies of this belief system in Taiwan and Southeast Asia. Drawing on detailed archival research, fieldwork (including site visits), and interviews, the study reveals how the belief has continually revitalized itself in pluralistic societies through strategies of “orthodoxy preservation” and “localized innovation.” The findings suggest that in Taiwan, the Sanping Patriarch belief primarily relies on kinship networks to maintain traditional practices. At the same time, in Southeast Asia, it spreads across ethnic boundaries through commercial and trade networks. Differences are also evident in the realm of mythological symbols, core rituals, and social functions. This study pays special attention to often-overlooked mythological figures such as the “Serpent Attendant” and “Tiger Attendant,” shedding light on the multilayered structure of folk religious systems.