boredom2012
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The recent viral incident in China you're referring to happened during a traditional Mazu (妈祖) procession in Shishi Village (拾石村), Donghai Island, Zhanjiang, Guangdong province, around Chinese New Year (early February 2026, specifically on the second day of the lunar new year).
In local folk customs, a young girl (often called the "ji tong" or medium/乩童) is traditionally selected through rituals like dreams, divine signs, and throwing poe (掷圣杯, a form of divination using crescent-shaped blocks to seek yes/no answers from the deity) to represent or "embody" Mazu during the annual parade where villagers carry her sedan chair (神轿) through the streets for blessings, good weather, and safety.
This girl had been chosen and served in this role for several years (reports say 6–10 years, starting from around age 8, now about 14). She was the "official" one approved by tradition and the community.
But this year, right before the event, the organizers (reportedly a wealthy sponsor surnamed Xu/Xu family, who funded parts like costumes, labor, etc.) replaced her with their own young boy (around 6–7 years old, nicknamed "Yaozu" or similar in some posts). People saw this as using money/power to force a "relationship kid" into the sacred role, basically trying to buy divine favor or prestige for their child.
What happened next became the big story:
The replacement boy didn't work out. The sedan chair became "impossibly heavy" — dozens of strong men couldn't lift or move it properly (believed to mean Mazu refused to "descend" or accept the substitute).
They tried throwing the poe (圣杯) to get approval/start the procession — reportedly 8 consecutive failures (all "angry cups" or negative responses, no positive "holy cup" to confirm). A 9th failure would traditionally mean the goddess refuses the event entirely that year — a very bad omen.
Panic set in. Organizers rushed to the original girl's home, tried to "invite" her back (videos show people bowing with incense, then physically pulling/dragging her despite her resistance and her mother's protests). She was furious and kept asking things like: "Who's on the sedan now? Since you already invited someone else, why come beg me?"
There were reports of threats (like "if you don't come, we'll trouble your family later"), near-fights between groups, and overall chaos.
Eventually, she was forced back (crying and emotional the whole time). She went on the sedan alongside the boy (breaking the usual one-medium rule), threw the poe successfully on what seems like the 9th attempt overall, and the procession finally continued.
The girl was very upset throughout, crying heavily afterward.
https://v.douyin.com/405jeM5y3Zg/
In local folk customs, a young girl (often called the "ji tong" or medium/乩童) is traditionally selected through rituals like dreams, divine signs, and throwing poe (掷圣杯, a form of divination using crescent-shaped blocks to seek yes/no answers from the deity) to represent or "embody" Mazu during the annual parade where villagers carry her sedan chair (神轿) through the streets for blessings, good weather, and safety.
This girl had been chosen and served in this role for several years (reports say 6–10 years, starting from around age 8, now about 14). She was the "official" one approved by tradition and the community.
But this year, right before the event, the organizers (reportedly a wealthy sponsor surnamed Xu/Xu family, who funded parts like costumes, labor, etc.) replaced her with their own young boy (around 6–7 years old, nicknamed "Yaozu" or similar in some posts). People saw this as using money/power to force a "relationship kid" into the sacred role, basically trying to buy divine favor or prestige for their child.
What happened next became the big story:
The replacement boy didn't work out. The sedan chair became "impossibly heavy" — dozens of strong men couldn't lift or move it properly (believed to mean Mazu refused to "descend" or accept the substitute).
They tried throwing the poe (圣杯) to get approval/start the procession — reportedly 8 consecutive failures (all "angry cups" or negative responses, no positive "holy cup" to confirm). A 9th failure would traditionally mean the goddess refuses the event entirely that year — a very bad omen.
Panic set in. Organizers rushed to the original girl's home, tried to "invite" her back (videos show people bowing with incense, then physically pulling/dragging her despite her resistance and her mother's protests). She was furious and kept asking things like: "Who's on the sedan now? Since you already invited someone else, why come beg me?"
There were reports of threats (like "if you don't come, we'll trouble your family later"), near-fights between groups, and overall chaos.
Eventually, she was forced back (crying and emotional the whole time). She went on the sedan alongside the boy (breaking the usual one-medium rule), threw the poe successfully on what seems like the 9th attempt overall, and the procession finally continued.
The girl was very upset throughout, crying heavily afterward.
https://v.douyin.com/405jeM5y3Zg/
