Set in Xinghua Prefecture in the early Ming Dynasty, it tells the life of Zhang Lin, a legendary woman who broke through the shackles of gender and passed the Jinshi examination. The story unfolds from her early schooling experience, through the hardships of the imperial examination, the choices and struggles during her official career, to the formation of her faith when she became the local patron saint "Zhang Niangniang" after her death. Through the intertwining of Zhang Lin's personal destiny and the changes of the times, it shows the social style of the early Ming Dynasty, the plight and breakthroughs of women, and the cultural logic of the formation of folk beliefs. The core of the story explores: how a woman leaves her mark in a patriarchal society, and ultimately transcends life and death to become a sacred being in the hearts of the people.
The author's ancestral home is Xiali Village, Xinghua City, Taizhou. One day, I went back to visit my elders in my ancestral home, which is about ten meters away from the village temple at the mouth of Xiali Village. This temple is filled with devotees and devotees making incense every day. Far away from the mouth of the river, the author saw the incense smoke vaguely gathering into animal heads, and the temple was extremely efficacious. I saw two rows of couplets written at the entrance of the temple: I wish you a good harvest and thank you for your good weather. Then he suddenly remembered that the Earth Goddess was Zhang Niang, named Zhang Lin, so he wrote Zhang Lin's story into a legend.
Purpose: Deeply cultivate the hometown and find memories