莆田是妈祖信仰的发祥地。妈祖的“海上女神”地位是与海洋文化紧密相连的。莆田妈祖文化与海上丝绸之路相关的史料记载、历史遗存、出土文物很多。如南宋著名文学家洪迈的《夷坚志》中就有一篇《林夫人庙》,其中的一段文字是这样说的:“兴化军境内地名海口(有学者考证即今江口或宁海),旧有林夫人庙……凡 Putian is the birthplace of Mazu belief. Mazu’s ”Sea Goddess“ status is closely linked with the marine culture. Putian Matsu culture and maritime Silk Road historical records, historical relics, many unearthed relics. For example, in the ”Yi Jian Zhi“ of Hong Mai, a famous writer of the Southern Song Dynasty, there is an article entitled ”Mrs. Lin’s Temple“, in which the passage reads: ”Xinghai territory within the territory of Haikou (scholarly research is now Jiangkou or Ninghai) The old lady Lin Temple ... where