# Sun Suzhen

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{{no footnotes|date=March 2014}}{{short description|Chinese religious leader (1895–1975)}}

{{Family name hatnote|Sun (孫)|lang=Chinese}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}

{{Infobox religious biography
| name               = Sun Suzhen
| native_name        = 孫素真
| native_name_lang   = zh
| image              = 孫慧明.jpg
| religion           = [Taoism](/source/Taoism)
| sect               = [Yiguandao](/source/Yiguandao)
| title              = 18th Taoist Matriarch<br/>([Yiguandao](/source/Yiguandao), disputed)
| period             = 1930 – 1975<br/>(alongside [Zhang Tianran](/source/Zhang_Tianran) until 1947) (disputed)
| predecessor        = [Lu Zhongyi](/source/Lu_Zhongyi)<br/>Zhang Tianran
| reincarnation_of   = Yuehui Bodhisattva
| birth_date         = {{birth date|1895|10|16|df=yes}}
| birth_place        = [Shan County](/source/Shan_County), [Qing dynasty](/source/Qing_dynasty)
| death_date         = {{death date and age|1975|4|4|1895|10|16|df=yes}}
| death_place        = [Taichung](/source/Taichung), [Taiwan](/source/Taiwan)
| resting_place      = [Taoyuan, Taiwan](/source/Taoyuan%2C_Taiwan)
| other_names        = {{plainlist|
* Ming Shan (明善)
* Hui Ming (慧明)
}}
| partner            = Zhang Tianran
| children           = 12
| module             = {{Infobox Chinese
 | child = yes
 | s = 孙素真 | t = 孫素真
 | p = Sūn Sùzhēn
 | w = Sun Su Chen
}}
| posthumous_name    = Holy Mother of the Chinese (中華聖母)
| honorific prefix   = Venerable Teacher Bodhisattva 
| honorific suffix   = 師母
}}
'''Sun Suzhen''' ({{zh|t=孫素真}}; 16 October 1895 – 4 April 1975) was the 18th matriarch of [Yiguandao](/source/Yiguandao). She was the successor of [Zhang Tianran](/source/Zhang_Tianran).

== Early life ==
Sun Suzhen was born in Shan County, [Shandong](/source/Shandong) on the 28th day of the eighth lunar month in 1895. She was introduced to Yiguandao in 1908 and became a student of [Lu Zhongyi](/source/Lu_Zhongyi). She was regarded by Yiguandao's followers as the incarnation of the Yuehui "Moon Wisdom" Bodhisattva, the counterpart of [Ji Gong](/source/Ji_Gong). She became the 18th matriarch of Yiguandao, together with [Zhang Tianran](/source/Zhang_Tianran) (the reincarnation of Ji Gong), in 1930.

== Yiguandao leadership ==
After the death of Zhang in 1947, she took control of Yiguandao. Many of Zhang's followers followed her leadership. Only a small fraction stayed on with Madame Liu. {{Clarification needed|date=April 2023}}

When the communists took over China in 1949, Sun moved to [Hong Kong](/source/Hong_Kong). She then went to [Kuala Lumpur](/source/Kuala_Lumpur), Malaysia for a short period (1951–52) then returned to Hong Kong.

In Hong Kong, she was said to have left behind a large number of "heavenly mandates" ({{lang|zh|天命}}). {{Clarification needed|date=April 2023}} To this day, there are a few elders in Hong Kong who are believed to be the keepers of these heavenly mandates.{{citation needed|date=April 2016}}

== Later life and death ==
In 1954, she moved to [Taiwan](/source/Taiwan). Because Yiguandao was illegal in both mainland China and Taiwan and was categorized as a cult by both authorities, she kept a low profile and was kept under seclusion. She was sick in her last years and under the care of a nun surnamed Zhou in [Taichung](/source/Taichung). Later she was under the care of [Wang Hao De](/source/Wang_Hao_De) until her death. She died on the 23rd day of the second lunar month in 1975 (4 April 1975), one day before the death of [Chiang Kai-shek](/source/Chiang_Kai-shek).

The location of her gravesite is unknown, but it is likely that she was buried in an unmarked grave in [Daxi](/source/Daxi_District), [Taoyuan](/source/Taoyuan_City). She was given the title ''Zhonghua Shengmu'' ({{lang|zh|中華聖母}}) (Holy Mother of the Chinese) by her followers.

== References ==
* David Jordan & Daniel Overmyer. 1985. The Flying Phoenix: Aspects of Chinese Sectarianism in Taiwan. Princeton University Press.
* Soo Khin Wah. 1997. A Study of the Yiguan Dao (Unity Sect) and its Development in Peninsular Malaysia. Ph.D. dissertation, University of British Columbia.

== External links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20040510023523/http://www.fecd.org.tw/brief/fecd04-3.htm History of Sun Su Zhen according to her followers]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050902141037/http://www.with.org/patriarchs-en.htm The patriarch of I Kuan Tao]
* [http://www.truetao.org/ikuantao/i-kuan.htm History of I Kuan Tao according to the followers]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sun, Suzhen}}
Category:1895 births
Category:1975 deaths
Category:I-Kuan Tao Patriarchs
Category:People from Heze
Category:Taiwanese people from Shandong
Category:Deified Taiwanese people

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Sun Suzhen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Suzhen) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Suzhen?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.