The Lüshan Sannai Sect 闾山三奶派

The Lüshan Sannai Sect, a branch of the Jingming Sect or Zhengyi Sect, is a folk Taoist sect.

This sect originated from the folk belief in Chen Jinggu (also known as Qishi Ma). According to legend, in Linshui, a place east of Gutian County in Fujian, there was a Chen family that had been witches for generations during the Five Dynasties. Chen Jinggu was also a female witch. Her father was Chen Chang and her mother was Mrs. Ge, who taught her the skills of witchcraft and ghost Taoism. Chen Jinggu, along with her sworn sisters, practiced both witchcraft and medicine, studied martial arts and Taoism, and was revered as a deity by the local people due to her transition from a witch to a divine figure. It is said that she once studied under Xu Zhenjun, the master of Lüshan, acquiring the secret teachings of Xu Jingyang, and also learned Taoism from Zhang Tianshi of Longhu Mountain, obtaining a demon-slaying sword.

The Great Nai Spiritual Scripture, which records the belief in Chen Jinggu, states that she "spread the Dharma in Lüshan and showed her traces in Gutian". During the Southern Song Dynasty, temples dedicated to Qishi Ma and the Lady of Linshui were built in the Fujian region. The Qishi Ma Temple in Quanzhou enshrines three ladies: Chen, Jin, and Li, who are regarded as goddesses in charge of conception, protecting childbirth, and nurturing infants. The temple enjoys a prosperous incense, has "Guanyin lots", and also enshrines Mazu as a companion, which still exists today. The three milk ladies in Fuzhou are Chen Jinggu, Lin Shujing (also known as Lin Jiuniang), and Li Sanjing (also known as Li Sanniang). In the Shunyi Ancestral Temple in Gutian, the Holy Mother of Shuntian (Chen Jinggu) is enshrined in the middle, Lady Jiang (commonly known as Tiger Milk) on the left, and Lady Shi (commonly known as Second Milk) on the right. There are 16 temples dedicated to the Lady of Linshui in Taiwan (including Linshui Shuntian Hall in Taipei, Linshui Lady's Palace in Tainan, Sannai Palace in Kaohsiung County, Shunyi Palace in Nantou County, Linshui Palace in Taichung, Jing'an Palace in Yilan County, etc.), all of which are Taoist temples belonging to the Sannai Sect of Taoism.

Most Taoist priests in Taiwan belong to the Zhengyi lineage, among which the "Wutou Sigong" (Black-headed Master) belongs to the Tianshi Tao, and the "Hongtou Sigong" (Red-headed Master) belongs to the Lüshan Sannai Tao. In short, the Lüshan Sannai originally originated from Taoist folk beliefs and still exists in the mainland. With the prosperity of folk Taoist sects in Taiwan, it has developed into one of the folk Taoist sects.