Shunfeng'er (Wind-Following Ear)

Shunfeng'er is one of the two chief divine generals who serve Mazu, having originally been a demon spirit subdued by Mazu on Mount Taohua in Meizhou. His ears possess the supernatural ability to hear sounds from a thousand li away. Folk legend holds that he once wreaked havoc in the northwest before being subdued by Mazu’s talismanic arts and thereafter pledged his service to her, joining her in alleviating suffering and rescuing the imperilled. Whenever someone cries for help at sea, Qianliyan perceives the visual sign, while Shunfeng'er detects the auditory signal; upon hearing the call, Mazu immediately rushes to the scene to render aid—hence devotees refer to Shunfeng'er as ‘Mazu’s ears’. In Mazu ancestral temples and branch temples across the region, Shunfeng'er is typically depicted as a wrathful figure with a crimson face, fangs, and oversized ears cupped by both hands in an intense listening stance; he stands to the left of Mazu’s altar, while Qianliyan stands to the right, the two jointly presiding over sight and hearing—making them the most iconic and emblematic guardian deities within the Mazu religious tradition.