Gô͘ Tho (吳夲) was born in the year 979 in Pehta village (白礁), Tangwa county, Quanzhou prefecture (now in Jiaomei, Zhangzhou).

[2][3] His father Gô͘ Thong (吳通) and mother Ng Gwat-hwa (黃月華) were refugees from Zhangzhou, they lived in poverty and were engaged in fishing.

When the Tangwa county magistrate Kang Siau-hong (江少峰) met Gô͘ Tho, he recognized the boy who was said to be eaten by a tiger while travelling for imperial exams.

In the last years of his life, Gô͘ Tho was hired by Ng Siu (黃秀), the richest man in Pehta village, to treat his daughter.

[6] Some less orthodox folk beliefs state that Poh Seng Tai Tay married Ma Cho Po in Heaven, but she later quarreled with him and demanded a divorce.

Poh Seng Tai Tay was enraged, and on the birthday of Ma Cho Po, he induced rain to wash away her cosmetics.

In response to him, Ma Cho Po caused wind on Poh Seng Tai Tay 's birthday to blow away his hat.

While many temples and worshipers frown upon such stories, some believers honestly perceive Poh Seng Tai Tay and Ma Cho Po as either a divine couple or two antagonist gods.

First temple for Poh Seng Tai Tay in Taiwan was built during the Dutch rule, its site now is in Sinhua District, Tainan.