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According to historical records, Mazu, whose birth name was Lin Mucnang, at the age of 16, sacrificed herself by jumping into the sea to save her father and brother who encountered a storm while fishing at sea, but she died as a result. Her body is said to have drifted to Aukou in present-day Matsu. Moved by Lin Mucnang's filial deeds, the Matsu villagers buried her with great honors at the relic site within the Mazu Temple of Mapeng, Matsu Village today. The most unique feature of the Mazu Temple of the Empress of Heaven is that the temple houses Mazu's relic, locally known as a "flesh relic." This temple has been renovated nearly every 20 years, but it is said that Mazu repeatedly manifested in supernatural ways to instruct that the stone coffin relic site must remain untouched. It was only until recently that Mazu, out of compassion for the many tourists, manifested again to approve the temple authorities to cover the relic site with reinforced glass and encase it with stone-carved divine dragons for protection.