(Source text) In
Chinese festivals, customs and stories, there are many mythological figures.To
facilitate the readers’ comprehension, the followings are a brief introduction
of their origins.
Wang Mu（王母）(Image)
Alternative name(s): Mother of Heaven, Mother of the West
Alternative name(s): Mother of Heaven, Mother of the West
Wang
Wu is said to be the daughter of Primeval Lord of Heaven in Daoist tradition
and the leader of deities. She is a beautiful deity over thirty years old.
People matched her with the Jade Emperor and called her the Mother of Heaven.
Yuanshi
Tianzun（元始天尊）
Alternative
name(s): Primeval Lord of Heaven
Yuanshi
Tianzun is the most supreme deity of Daoism. There are so-called the Three Pure
Ones (the Jade Pure One, the Supreme Pure One and the Grand Pure One). The Jade
Pure One, Yuanshi Tianzun, is Laozi’s master and occupies the most supreme
position.
Taishang
Daojun（太上道君）
Alternative
name(s): Grand Supreme Daoist Lord, Lord of the Numinous Treasure
Taishang
Daojun is also known as the Lord of the Numinous Treasure. He might be derived
from the Grand Supreme Elderly Lord. He hosts in second position among the
three Lords.
Taishang
Laojun（太上老君）
Alternative
name(s): Grand Supreme Elderly Lord, Grand Pure Master
Taishang
Laojun is Laozi and known as the Grand Pure Master. He hosts the third among
the three Lords.
Yuhuang
Dadi（玉皇大帝）
Alternative
name(s): Jade Emperor
Yuhuang
Daidi is the highest deity of the Chinese folk religion. He takes charge of the
Heaven and is the head of gods.
Tudi
Shen（土地神）
Alternative
name(s): Tudi Gong (土地公)
Tudi
Shen are the gods taking charge of land. They are the closest to people. They
are kind and modest. However, they are not all-powerful. Tudi Shen inside the
house are called the Lord of Land and those outside the door are called the God
of Gate.
Cheng
Huang（城隍）
Alternative
name(s): God of Town
Cheng
Huang is the god who protects the town.
Tian
Hou（天后）
Alternative
name(s): Mazu (媽祖),
Empress of Heaven
Tian
Hou is also known as the Empress of Heaven. In Fujian, Guangdong and Taiwan
regions, she is called Mazu, which means grandmother in Northern Chinese
dialects. She is not only the sailing protector, but also the fertility
goddess. Opinions over her backgrounds are divergent. It is generally believed
that she is Lin Meiniang, the daughter of Lin Yuan, who is the Chief Military
Inspector of Putian County in Fujian.
Wenchang
Di（文昌帝）
Alternative
name(s): God of Culture and Literature
Wenchang
Di is the god who determines the fame and fortune of people. Most of literati
and scholars sincerely believe in him.
Kuixing
Ye（魁星爺）
Alternative
name(s): Great Master Kui, Great Kui the Star Prince
Kuixing
Ye is the god who determines the fame and civil examination results of people.
Intellectuals truly believe in him.
Dizang
Wang（地藏王）
Alternative
name(s): Earth Treasury Bodhisattva, Earth Store Bodhisattva, Earth Worm
Bodhisattva
Dizang
Wang is the god who dominates the Underworld. He is considered as Mulian
because both these gods saved their mothers from suffering. The story of Mulian
saving his mother is well-known in China.
Yanluo
Wang（閻羅王）
Alternative
name(s): King Yama
Yanluo
Wang (known as Yen Wang for short) is the most famous among the gods of the
Underworld in Chinese folk religion.
Shi Wang（十王）
Alternative name(s): Ten Kings
In Chinese folk religion, there are
ten courts in the Underworld. Each of the courts is ruled by one of the kings.
Qinguang Wang, surnamed Jiang (蔣), takes charge of the
life and death, and lifespan of humans. He is also responsible for the
auspicious and inauspicious of the Underworld.
Chujiang Wang, surnamed Li (歷), takes charge of the
Underworld of Revival, where the spirits strike each other until they lose
consciousness and revive to go through the same pain. Those who hurt other
people’s bodies, steal and kill in the earthly world will be severly punished,
including burning, scourging and freezing,
in this court.
Song Di Wang, surnamed Yu (余), takes charge of the
Underworld of Black Thread, where black lines are drawn on the spirits' bodies
and the spirits are cut along the lines by saws and axes. Those who are
disobedient to their elders or superiors, and incite litigation in the earthly
world will be punished in this court.
Wuguan Wang, surnamed Lü (呂), takes charge of the
Underworld of Crushing, where the spirits are pressed between iron mountains
until they are crushed into powder. Those who refuse to pay the grain tax and
rent, and cheat in business transactions in the earthly world will be punished
in this court.
Yanluo
Tianzi is said to be Bao Qingtian of North Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD). He takes
charge of the Underworld of Sufferings, where the spirits suffer tremendously
and screech loudly. He also takes charge of the sixteen Small Underworlds of
Heart Hooking. Dead people sent to this
court will be escorted to Terrace of Looking Homewards. They will see the
suffering of their family members caused by them. They will soon be sent to the
Underworld of Sufferings and examined what they have done in their previous
lives. They will then be sent to the sixteen Small Underworlds of Heart
Hooking, in which their hearts are hooked out to feed snakes.
Biancheng
Wang, surnamed Bi (畢), takes charge of the Great Underworld of Great Sufferings and City of
Innocent Death. There are sixteen small underworlds in this court. Dead people
who blame and complain, and also those who urinate, defecate and weep to the
North in the earthly world, will be sent to this court for punishment.
Taishan
Wang, surnamed Dong (董), takes charge of the Underworld of Agony, where the spirits are continually
roasted in an enormous fiery oven in extreme agony. People who take the bones
from the dead to make medicine and separate others from their families in the
earthly world will be sent to this court for punishment.
Dushi Wang, surnamed Huang (黃), takes charge of the Great Underworld
of Great Agony. Those who are not filial in the earthly world and make their
parents in trouble will be punished in this court. They will be roasted in an
enormous fiery oven until they die for thousands times.
Pingdeng Wang, surnamed Lu (陸), takes charge of the Underworld of
Uninterrupted Punishment. Those who commit murder and arson, and are killed by
heavy punishments in the earthly world will be punished in this court.
Zhuanlun Wang, surnamed Xue (薛), takes charge of the spirits from
each court, judges them according to their good and evil, evaluates them into
different levels and sends them to the four continents in the Aral Sea for
rebirth.
Meng
Po Shen（孟婆神）
Alternative
name(s): Old Lady Meng
She
is the deity guarding the exit of the Underworld. She built the Pavilion of
Oblivion. Arriving the pavilion, the spirits of the dead are required to drink
the Tea of Meng Po, so as to forget everything in their previous lives.
Guan
Di（關帝）
Alternative
name(s): Emperor Guan
Guan
Di is a famous general of the Three Kingdoms. Since the Song dynasty (960-1279
AD), he had been granted quite a lot of noble titles by emperors of past
generations. He is one of the common deities enshrined by Chinese people.
Zao
Shen（灶神）
Alternative
name(s): Kitchen God, God of Stove
Zao
Shen is the god enshrined on the stove by every family. He insures the harmony
and safeguards the health of each family. He is assigned to each family by the
Supreme Being as the inspector of full authority. He is also required to go up
to Heaven and report to Jade Emperor on people’s good and evil at the end of
every year.
Guanyin（觀音）
Alternative
name(s): Bodhisattva Guanshiyin（觀世音菩薩）,
Guanshiyin（觀世音）,
Mercy Goddess, Goddess of Mercy
Guanyin
is one of the four supreme bodhisattvas, who wishes to attain Buddhahood by
delaying reaching nirvana through compassion for suffering beings, in Chinese
Buddhism. An Indian myth was about two brothers dedicated to practise Buddhist
conduct to save all beings. The older brother was the Bodhisattva Guanshiyin（觀世音菩薩）and
the younger was the Maharishi Bodhisattva of Great Power, in which “Maharishi”
means “a great Hindu sage”. They subsequently served the Buddha of Immeasurable
Life and Light. The three of them were called the Three Sages in the West. In
the Southern and Northern dynasties (420-589 AD), the Bodhisattva Guanshiyin（觀世音菩薩）was
presented as a male and also female. After the Tang dynasty (618–907 AD), the
deity was presented as a female solely. It was said in Chinese folk tales that
the deity was transformed from a filial daughter after her death.
Si Da Jingang（四大金剛）
Alternative name(s): Four Heavenly
Kings, Four Great Kings, Four Great Heavenly Kings, Four Guardian Kings
Si Da Jingang are also known as the Four
Heavenly Kings:
The King Realm Upholding in the
East, who upholds the realm, has white skin and carries a pipa (a kind of
Chinese musical instrument).
The King of Growth in the South has
blue skin and carries a sword.
The King of Clairvoyance in the West
has red skin. His hand is surrounded by a Chinese dragon which is considered to
be a snake by some people)
The King of Clairaudience in the
North has green skin. He carries an umbrella in his right hand and a pagoda in
his left.
Luohan（羅漢）
Alternative name(s): Arhat, Lohan
Luohan
refers to the Buddha’s disciples who attain full enlightenment and will no
longer reincarnate and suffer from the cycle of birth, life and death. In
Buddhist sutras, there were initially Four Great Luohans passing on teachings
on earth. Then, the number of Luohan gradually increased to sixteen, eighteen,
and even five hundred.
Wei Tuo（韋馱）
Alternative name(s): Defender of
Dharma, Protector of Dharma, Skanda
Wei
Tuo is a sky deity upholding Buddhist teachings and the leader of the thirty
two Divine Generals under the Four Heavenly Kings. He is often portrayed as a
child in an armor with the vajra, which is a thunderbolt weapon. He is placed
behind Maitreya Buddha (Buddha of Loving-kindness) in the Hall of Divine Kings.
Cai Shen（財神）
Alternative name(s): Gods of Wealth
Cai
Shen are some of the most commonly worshipped deities all over China. Wen Cai
Shen means the Literary God of Wealth and they include Bi Gan and Fan Li (also
called Tao Zhugong). Wu Cai Shen means the Military God of Wealth and they
include Zhao Gongming. Wen Cai Shen have white faces; Wu Cai Shen have black
faces.
Huang
Daxian（黃大仙）
Alternative name(s): Wong Tai Sin
The
original name of Huang Daxian is Huang Chuping, a man from Dandong in the
Eastern Han Dynasty (25–220 AD). At the age of fifteen, when he was shepherding
on Red Pine Mountain in Jinhua County, he met an immortal. He followed the
immortal and learnt Daoism. Forty years later, his eldest brother found him on
the mountain and asked where the sheep were. Huang Chuping pointed at the
stones on the peak and shouted, “Sheep!” All the stones on the mountain
suddenly became sheep. Then, his eldest brother realized that Huang Chuping,
his younger brother, had become an immortal.
Ji
Gong（濟公）
Alternative name(s):
Mad Monk, Buddha Ji
The
surname of Ji Gong in the earthly world is Li and his monastic name is Dao Ji,
which literally means saving people from sufferings. At the time of passing on
Buddhist teachings, he intentionally acted like a mad man. Hence, people called
him Ji Dian (Ji is the abbreviation of his monastic name Dao Ji), which
literally means Mad Monk. He is called the Living Buddha of Ji Gong.
