Interestingly enough, both the Chinese and Inuit ocean deities are women, so there is plenty of inspiration to draw from for Yue. ^_^
Like most mythology, these stories have countless versions. I'll be choosing the versions that are most relevant to Yue. This is a two-part post, with this post covering Chinese culture. Part 1 can be found here.
Like Sanna, the story of China's ocean goddess begins with an ordinary human girl. The girl's name was Lin Moniang (林默娘) and she is said to have lived during the 10th century in what is now China's Fujian Province. Her given name of Moniang means "silent girl", as she never cried as a baby. The daughter of a fisherman, she seemed to have been her village's shaman, as she would often read people's fortunes and predict weather conditions for the local fishermen.
Her principal legend concerns her saving her father and brothers. Hearing news that her family's fishing boat had been caught in a typhoon, 16-year-old Moniang meditates and spiritually projects on to the boat. She manages to save her brothers from drowning, but is unable to save her father in time. This was due to her mother awakening her from her trance, thinking her daughter was having a seizure.
Wanting to find her father, she tirelessly searched the waters and islands of the archipelago where she lived. According to legend, she eventually died of exhaustion and her body washed up on the shores of Nangan Island. Her spirit ascended to godhood, where she gained the name Mazu (媽祖 - "Ancestral Mother"), and became a guardian deity to sailors and fishermen. The archipelago where her family fished is now known as the Matsu Islands, after her goddess name.
Visually, Mazu is often depicted wearing a lot of beads. Perhaps because they resemble pearls or water droplets? The crown she wears is called a mianguan (冕冠), which was historically worn by East Asian emperors and is featured in many depictions of royals and gods alike.
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