Three statues of Chinese deities travelled in business class on a Xiamen Airways flight to Malaysia last Saturday.
The idols of heavenly goddess Mazu (the historical form of Fujianese shamaness Lin Mo), accompanied by her guardians Qianliyan (Thousand-Mile Eye) and Shunfeng’er (Wind-Following Ear), had made the journey from a sea temple in Fujian province as part of the China-Malaysia Mazu Cultural Exchange programme.
Organiser Thean Hou Temple in Kuala Lumpur was said to have paid RMB2,091 (US$307) per ticket for their sacred VIPs.
According to reports, the three deities joined a procession in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday. They then made stops in Malacca and Singapore before heading back to China, which leaves us wondering: did they return home as luxuriously as they arrived?
