Guan Yu, why is it widely circulated among the people? Do you know why?

Who is the most capable military commander in China? No one dares to say that. But who has the greatest cultural influence? There is no doubt: Guan Yu.

Among so many military commanders in China, Guan Yu has a very special place, that is, he is no longer regarded as an ordinary ancient warrior, but as a kind of god worship by the people, which even led to Guan Yu's belief and even spread to Japan, North Korea, Vietnam, Ryukyu and other countries in China cultural circle. The people of China revered him as Master Guan and Master Guan, and later emperors praised him many times until he was made a warrior.

Why is Guan Yu the only one who can shine in five thousand years? Is it because Guan Yu has strong ability, great achievements and loyalty? Of course, there must be this factor, but Guan Yu is not the only military commander with strong ability and loyalty. There are countless people who can compete with Guan Yu. Therefore, there must be other special reasons for the emergence of "Guan Yu worship"

Then why? Listen to the author slowly.

First of all, we must know that hero worship is a common emotion of all ethnic groups throughout the ages. In ancient times, Guan Yu was not the only hero admired by the people. Let me give you an example: Xu Xun. This person may not be known to many people now. He was a famous Taoist priest in the Jin Dynasty and a native of Yitangpo (now Jiangxi) in Changting Township, Nanchang County. It is said that he killed dumplings and snakes (Poyang Lake Monster) to kill pests for the people, so many people in Jiangxi worshipped Xu Xun, and he became the local patron saint of Jiangxi. Jiangxi Guild Hall (Wanshou Palace) is dedicated to Xu Xun.

Of course, this is an ancient thing after all, and now it is estimated that many Jiangxi people don't know about it.

Another example is Mazu, which is very famous. It is a belief in Poseidon centering on the southeast coast of China and extending to the coastal areas of East Asia (Ryukyu, Japan and Singapore). According to historical research, she is actually a real person. She was born in Dongluo Village, Meizhou Island, Putian County, Quanzhou Prefecture, Fujian Road, in the first year of Stegosaurus in Song Taizu (or at the end of the Five Dynasties).

You can find a feature. These "beliefs" usually have a strong regional color, which is normal. Ancient times were not modern, and local communication was quite inconvenient, so all localities had their own "local gods" according to the actual situation.

However, China has a unified tradition, so under many special circumstances, the "land god" will be upgraded to the "national god". The most typical example is Guan Yu!

Well, from here, we can know that there is nothing novel about respecting Guan Yu, and there are a lot of such respects all over China; What is novel is how Guan Yu's belief went to the whole country.

Let's first look at the origin of Guan Yu's belief: as early as the Three Kingdoms period, Guan Yu was already a world-famous warrior, and his image of bravery and loyalty has been widely circulated among the people. At that time, he was already a first-class soldier and was widely respected. Therefore, in the Wei and Jin Dynasties after the Three Kingdoms, Guan Yu has always been a positive image among the people, but at this time everyone's impression is that Guan Yu is just a "warrior", far from being a "god"

Where did the folk worship of Guan Yu originate? Nature is Guan Yu's hometown-Xiezhou, Shanxi! In his early years, Guan Yu fought bravely in his hometown, got rid of violence and gained popular support. When the bad news of Guan Yu's murder came, the villagers spontaneously presented an incense table for Guan Yu in order to thank Guan Yu for his previous righteous act and mourn the dead.

If this situation continues, Guan Yu may become a land god in Shaanxi, just like Mazu and Xu Xun.

However, the phenomenon of deifying Guan Yu began to appear in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and the well-documented myths and legends of Guan Yu began in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. In the Southern Dynasties, Emperor Chen Bozong of the State of Chen used the excuse of "Guan Yu became a god". During the vast years (567-568), Guan Yu was killed in a public temple in the northwest of yuquan temple, 30 miles east of Dangyang County. This is the first Guandi Temple in history. Since the Sui Dynasty, the largest Guandi Temple has been built in Xiezhou, our hometown, and it is known as the "ancestor of martial temples in the world". It is the highest among tens of thousands of Guandi temples.

However, there is nothing special about Guan Yu at this time. When the emperor is happy, he respects an ancient man. This kind of thing is that Guan Yu is not as respected as Jiang Ziya or Zhuge Liang at this time, and the influence of Guan Yu's belief is not extensive, but it is only popular in some areas (mainly Shanxi).

However, in the Song Dynasty at the latest, the worship of Guan Yu became very large. At the latest in the late Song Dynasty, temples dedicated to Guan Yu had been "available in all counties, counties and towns", and the emperors of the Song Dynasty also made Guan Yu king. Although the imperial court of the Yuan Dynasty believed in Tibetan Buddhism, it did not restrain the people's faith, so the people's faith in Guan Yu increased, and even the emperor of the Yuan Dynasty sent envoys to sacrifice.

What happened in this? Anyone who knows a little about macro history may know that there is a very important node in China's history-Anshi Rebellion, which led to the rise and fall of the whole Chinese empire (not just the Tang Dynasty), the demise of the Tang Dynasty, the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, the Song Dynasty, and the sharp ethnic contradictions ... This period of history is quite chaotic. From the perspective of feudal political ethics, it is: no monarch and no minister; Judging from the traditional summer prevention, the Song, Liao, Jin and Xia Dynasties were also in chaos. At the same time, Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism in China culture showed a trend of "unity" in this period.

Some places even regard Guan Yu as a god of wealth.

Therefore, from the perspective of feudal rulers, they urgently need to rectify the feudal order; From a cultural point of view, Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism need an acceptable immortal-so Guan Yu became the best choice. Guan Yu's loyalty is a spiritual quality that all social classes need. This is a kind of cohesion. Confucianism is regarded as a saint, Taoism as an emperor, Buddhism as a patron saint, and all three religions include Guan Gong in the ranks. Belief in Guan Gong religion is very popular all over the country.

And what about the Ming and Qing dynasties that are closer to us? "Guan Yu worship" reached its peak, in addition to the continuous development of the Song and Yuan Dynasties, there are more factors to promote, such as the emergence of the masterpiece Romance of the Three Kingdoms. For another example, the expansion of Shanxi merchants led to the further popularization of Shanxi culture (Guan Yu is also an important part of Shanxi culture). During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, due to the promotion of the government, the worship of religion and the exaggeration of literature, the folk worship of Guan Yu also reached a historical climax.

All social strata can find what they need from Guan Yu. Businessmen regard Guan Yu as a god of wealth because he believes in charity (this is popular not only in China, but also in Japan). Because of all kinds of stories and legends, the common people regard Guan Gong as the omnipotent god to eliminate disasters and diseases. Because of Guan Gong's heroic behavior before his death, the soldiers respectfully called him God of War. Because Guan Gong liked to read Chunqiu before his death, the scholar called Guan Gong "Father Wen Diheng", that is, to test God. The magistrate regarded Guan Gong as a god of justice because of his justice (so sometimes you will see some strange things, for example, in Hong Kong, the police and the underworld often worship Guan Gong. )

In the Ming Dynasty, Guan Yu was made emperor, and Guan Yu's honorific title was gradually upgraded from "Wang Guan" to "Guandi", which has been passed down to this day. In the Qing Dynasty, Manchu people regarded Guan Di as "the god of protecting the country" and always regarded him as "Guan Laoye", but they were afraid to say his name. Their respect was beyond measure.

Therefore, there are quite interesting reasons for the formation of Guan Yu's belief: the intentional recommendation of feudal rulers, the praise of fine quality by the people, and the expansion of Shanxi's local culture.

So, what is the essence of Guan Yu's worship? In some places, Guandi Temple has such a couplet (of course, the original version may be Taoist):

Deviation is evil, and burning incense is meaningless.

Stand up straight and watch me not worship.

What does this mean? It's no use burning incense every day if your mind is not right. If a person is healthy, it doesn't matter even if he doesn't bow down to God. God will naturally protect him.

The yearning for excellent qualities such as benevolence, righteousness and loyalty is the essence of Guan Yu's belief. The Chinese nation has never pursued an illusory god, but this quality, and Guan Yu is the embodiment of this quality.