A wangchuan ceremony is held in Siming district, Xiamen in 2020. [Photo/Xiamen Daily]

The 15th to 17th centuries (1400-1700 AD) marked a period when the Fujian people rekindled maritime trade and underwent large-scale migrations, but it was also a time of frequent maritime disasters and epidemics.

In the coastal areas of Minnan (south Fujian province), China, and Melaka, Malaysia, where locals heavily rely on the sea for their livelihoods, a desire to seek protection from the heavens through doing good deeds in the face of the unpredictable seas has led to the widespread practice of the wangchuan ceremony.

The wangchuan ceremony refers to the ritualized practices devoted to disaster-averting and peace-pleading, which have spread throughout many communities in the two countries and have been transmitted for generations.

The wangchuan ceremony and related practices are rooted in the worship of Ong Yah, a deity believed to protect people and their lands from disasters.

Having spread to Taiwan in earlier times and later reaching the Chinese settlements in Southeast Asia through trade and migration along the Maritime Silk Road, the wangchuan ceremony became an essential ritual for the Chinese community in Melaka, serving as a way to pray for safety on the seas and a bountiful catch.

In 2020, "Wangchuan ceremony and related practices for maintaining the sustainable connection between man and the ocean", which was jointly nominated by China and Malaysia, was inscribed on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The Wangchuan ceremony is recognized by both China and Malaysia as a shared cultural heritage, representing the finest embodiment of the dissemination and integration of Chinese culture along the countries of the Maritime Silk Road. It also plays a crucial role in fostering international friendships and promoting cultural exchanges, serving as a significant cultural link that binds China and Malaysia together.

The wangchuan ceremony in Malacca, Malaysia [Photo by Chan Kow Heng for gofujian.com]