This photograph was taken during the annual pilgrimage of Dajia Jenn Lann Temple in Taiwan, one of the island’s largest religious processions.

Leading the parade is the Fude Maitreya Troupe, established in 1979, portraying five deity figures that symbolize fortune, prosperity, longevity, wealth, and protection.

Among them, the Jade Maiden stands apart. With childlike features and light, skipping steps, she embodies innocence and is revered as a guardian of children.

While the three Maitreya figures move with ritualized, swaying steps and the Earth God advances with dignified slowness, the Jade Maiden dances playfully through the crowd. In that brief moment, centuries of belief transform into something disarmingly human — shared laughter, warmth, and collective joy.