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Patriarch Ching Chwee (Chinese: 清水祖師; pinyin: Qīngshuǐ; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Chheng-chúi chó͘-su; 1047-1101), also known as Chó͘-su-kong (Chinese: 祖師公; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Chó͘-su-kong), born Tan Chiau Eng (Chinese: 陳昭應; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tân Chiau-èng) was a Zen (Chan) Buddhist monk during the Northern Song from Anxi County, Quanzhou. He was said to have gained supernatural powers through his skill in learning and preaching the Dharma and meditation.[1] Through this, he is said to have saved the town of Anxi during a period of drought, bringing rain as he went from place to place. In reverence, the villagers built shrines to him and hence became a deity in Chinese folk religion.[2]
Patriarch Ching Chwee is also known by the following nicknames:[1]
Worship of Patriarch Ching Chwee (清水祖师) is especially popular in Taiwan, where he is worshiped by local villagers for protection and in overseas Hokkien-speaking communities. His birthday is celebrated on the sixth day of the first lunar month.