妈祖作为“海上保护神”，今时今日在世界范围内被华人群体广泛信仰。而妈祖的形象，经历了从巫女到民间信仰的神明再到被官方认可的国家正祀的上升过程。长久以来，中国古代的上层文化圈与下层文化圈之间的互动是思想史、社会史等研究领域备受关注的内容，而妈祖信仰独特的出身和地位使其成为贯通上下层文化的重要脉络。经历了宋元两朝的发展演变，在既有较为频繁的航海活动，却又存在海禁政策的明朝，妈祖信仰在官方视角下和其发源地福建沿海地区的社会群体视角下的形象有何异同，是一个值得探究的话题。在官方眼中，“海上保护神”是妈祖最突出甚至是唯一的职能，官方对妈祖信仰的重视程度与航海事业的繁荣情况相关；在文人儒者的文本里，属于上层文化的儒家思想与诞生自下层文化的妈祖信仰之间交织互动，既有对妈祖信仰的批判或利用，也有对妈祖的虔诚信仰；在基层群体眼中，妈祖在“航海保护神”之外有着如赈灾救疫、惩恶扬善等更为丰富的职能。纵观不同群体眼中的妈祖信仰，我们既能看到特定时代下妈祖的多元形象，又得以窥见明朝多元又统一的文化的一角。

Mazu, as the widely revered 'Goddess of the Sea' today, has undergone a process of elevation from a psychic to a folk belief, and eventually to being a officially recognized deity. The unique origin and status of Mazu have made it an important link connecting the upper and lower cultural, whose interaction  has been a subject of great concern in the fields of intellectual history and social history for a long time. Undergoing development from the Song to Yuan dynasty, the image of Mazu during the Ming dynasty from the perspective of the government and the social groups in the coastal areas of Fujian, presents an intriguing topic for exploration. In the official view, 'Goddess of the Sea' is Mazu's most prominent and sole function; In the texts of scholars and Confucians, there's a complex interplay between Confucianism, representing the upper-class culture, and Mazu belief, originating from the lower-class culture, which shows different attitude to Mazu. Within grassroots communities, Mazu embodies a multifaceted role beyond ' Goddess of the Sea'. Examining the diverse perceptions of Mazu across different groups, we can not only discern the varied images of Mazu in specific eras but also glimpse a corner of the Ming Dynasty's diverse yet unified culture.