Origins of the Gods of Wealth

Origin of various Gods of Wealth The origin of the Gods of Wealth is quite difficult to trace, and the deities worshipped also vary from time to time and from place to place. It is generally believed that there are the so-called "God of Fortune", Zhao Gongming, "God of Literature", Fan Li, "God of Martial Arts", Guan Yu, "God of Partial Fortune", "God of the Five Roads", "God of Profit", "God of the Market", "God of the World", and "God of the World". The "God of Fortune" is Zhao Gongming, the "God of Literary Fortune" is Fan Li, the "God of Martial Fortune" is Guan Yu, the "God of Partial Fortune" is Wulu Shen, the "God of Profit and Market", and the "God of Quasi-Fortune" is Liu Hai Tan. These gods of wealth can be divided into two categories: the god of wealth and the god of wealth, and the most well-known god of wealth is Zhao Gongming, the god of wealth.

1, Zhao Gongming - the god of wealth on earth

The world worships the God of Wealth, the most influential when Zhao Gongming. According to the "Three Religions Search for God Book", Zhao Gongming is a god with many abilities and endless changes, able to drive thunder and electricity, call rain and wind, subdue the plague and cut malaria, and protect life and relieve disasters. Therefore, it is said that "there is no greater merit than that of a marshal". Whenever one prays to Zhao Gongming for wealth, he will get everything he wants, so he is worshipped as the god of wealth by the people. In the old Chinese New Year's paintings, Zhao Gongming's image is mostly wearing an iron crown, holding a whip, black face, thick beard, body across the black tiger, grim-looking, so people also called it the God of Wealth.

The folk legend of Zhao Gongming has a long history. As early as during the Jin Dynasty, in Gan Bao's "Record of the Search for Gods", Zhao Gongming was one of the gods of the underworld who specialized in taking human lives. During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Tao Hongjing (陶弘景) described Zhao Gongming as a plague god who caused human diseases in his Zhenjiu (真诰). During the Sui and Tang dynasties, the "Complete Book of Searching for Gods and Sources of the Three Religions" states that in June of the eleventh year of Emperor Wen's reign, five warriors appeared in the sky, clad in green, red, white, black, and yellow robes, and each holding a single object in his hand: one holding a ladle and a jar, one holding a leather pouch and a sword, one holding a hammer, one holding a fan, and one holding a flaming kettle. Emperor Wen asked Tai Shi Ju Ren, "Who are they? What calamities and blessings are they in charge of?" Zhang Juren said, "They are the Five Rexes of the Five Directions, who serve as the Five Demons in heaven, and as the Five Plague Gods on earth: Zhang Yuanbo of the Spring Plague, Liu Yuanda of the Summer Plague, Zhao Gongming of the Autumn Plague, Zhong Shigui of the Winter Plague, and Shi Wenye of the Middle Plague in general, who are in charge of the plagues of the world. These are the diseases produced when heaven and earth are in motion." Emperor Wen asked, "How can I stop and save the world from the plague?" Zhang Ju Ren replied, "The plague is a disease that comes down from heaven and cannot be stopped." So many people died of the plague that year. At that time, Emperor Wen ordered to set up a shrine, and on the 27th day of the 6th month, he ordered to appoint Wufanglix as a general.

Zhao Gongming's character as a plague spirit became more specific in the Complete Biographies of the Lixian Immortals, except that he went from being one of the five plague spirits to being one of the eight Ghost Commanders: At the time of the Yuanming Emperor, there were eight Ghost Commanders, each of whom led hundreds of millions of ghost soldiers and traveled around the earth. Liu Yuanda led the ghost soldiers to inflict miscellaneous diseases, Zhang Boyuan led the ghosts to perform plague, Zhao Gongming led the ghosts to inflict dysentery on earth, Zhong Ziji (Zhong Shigui) inflicted sores and swellings on earth, Shi Wenye inflicted cold diseases, Fan Juqing inflicted acid and barrenness, Yao Gong inflicted the five poisons, and Li Gongzhong inflicted the madness of the red eye, and inflicted many calamities and diseases on the earth, and took the lives of ten thousand people, and died countless deaths in vain.

Until the book Feng Shen Yan Yi came out, Zhao Gongming was no longer full of evil, ghosts and pestilence as he was in the old days. Jiang Taigong was ordered by the First Heavenly Father to seal the god according to the Jade Talisman, and Zhao Gongming was named "Golden Dragon Ruyi Zhenyi Dragon Tiger Xuan Tan Zhenjun", whose duty is to specialize in gold and silver treasures, and to welcome auspiciousness and good fortune. From then on, Zhao Gongming began to take charge of the world's wealth and became the God of Wealth. Zhao Gongming Secretary for wealth, can make people and harmony, rich, which is in line with the world's desire for wealth, so the folk widely worship Zhao Gongming, and his original as the god of the underworld, the plague god, ghosts and marshals of the face has been gradually forgotten. Folk for the God of Wealth Zhao Gongming are helmeted and armored, wearing a robe, whip, black face, thick beard, image of the mighty. Surrounded by often attached to the treasure bowl, big treasure, treasure beads, coral and so on, more strengthened the effect of prosperity.

2, Fan Li - the Tao Zhu Gong of wealth

Fan Li is also a god of wealth. He was an outstanding politician, thinker and strategist during the Spring and Autumn period and the Warring States period, as well as a big businessman who had a way of making money.

Fan Li, known as Shao Bo, was a gifted and intelligent man who had the wisdom to think alone when he was a teenager. Later, he was honored as a scholar by King Goujian of Yue. When Yue was defeated by Wu, Fan Li went with the king of Yue to serve Wu Fu-chai, the king of Wu. After returning home, Fan Li assisted the king of Yue to enrich the country and strengthen the army, and finally defeated Wu. After the defeat of Wu, the officials of Yue hosted a banquet to celebrate the victory, and all the officials were happy, except Goujian, who did not look happy. Fan Li noticed the triviality of the situation and realized that the king of Yue had spared the deaths of his ministers in order to fight for the kingdom, and now that he had got what he wanted, he did not want to take the credit for it. So, Fan Li resigned from his post and led his family to Qi, where he set up a flat boat and sailed across the East China Sea.

Fan Li's father and son cultivated the land by the sea in Qi, and soon they accumulated hundreds of thousands of gold. The people of Qi heard of his wisdom and invited him to be their minister. Fan Li sighed: "If you live at home, you will get thousands of gold, and if you live in the government, you will get the ministerial post, which is the best of the cloth. It is ominous to receive an honorable name for a long time." So he returned the seal of the minister, gave all the money to his friends and neighbors, and took only the most valuable things with him, secretly left Qi and quietly came to Tao. Fan Li thought that Tao was located in the middle of the world, and was the main road for trading, so he could get rich, and thought that he could secure the rest of his life, so he lived there and called himself Tao Zhu Gong. ("Tao" refers to the land of Tao, or the cryptic phrase "to escape"; "Zhu" is said to be a symbol of a rich man, or an allegory of having been a high-ranking official; "Gong" is said to be an expression of respect for a person who has been rich. ("Duke" is said to be a honorific title for an elder, or a senior, or that Yu Ji was once a duke). Fan Li father and son by planting land, raising livestock, doing business and accumulated tens of thousands of family wealth, become rich in the Tao land, and then two families to share their wealth to the people, the world praised Tao Zhu Gong, worshiped as the god of wealth.

Tao Zhu Gong's business wisdom has always been admired by the people, so there are many business to get rich with Tao Zhu Gong name. Such as "business eighteen taboos": business to be diligent, avoid laziness; price to set clear, avoid ambiguity; use to be thrifty, avoid luxury; credit to recognize, avoid abusive; goods to face inspection, avoid abusive; in and out of the prudent, avoid scribbling; use to square, avoid crooked; advantages and disadvantages of the subdivided, avoid confusing; goods to repair, avoid diffuse; term to be agreed upon, avoid sloppiness; buy and sell in a timely manner, avoid procrastination; Money to be clear and prudent, avoid confusion; Pro to be responsible, avoid trust; accounts to audit, avoid lazy; acceptance to be modest, avoid irritability; quiet heart, avoid roughness; speak to the rules, avoid fickleness ...... eighteen taboos are mostly for the businessman's voice of experience, to the name of Tao Zhugong, which can be seen as the God of Wealth in the minds of the folk merchants of the This shows that he as the god of wealth in the minds of folk merchants as the image of wisdom. Fan Li life of hard work, accumulation of tens of thousands of gold; good management, good financial management, and can be widely dispersed money, so it is called the God of Wealth also ... It's a matter of course.

3, Guan Yu - loyal and faithful for the Guan Gong

Guan Gong that is, Guan Yu, in China is a household name, women and children know the characters. Since modern times, more and more people to Guan Gong as all-powerful protection God, industry God and God of wealth, the author of the "folk New Year's portrait exhibition" said: "Guan Gong is regarded as the God of martial arts, the God of wealth and protection of merchants and businessmen God. When people have disputes, they ask him for his insight and judgment. In times of drought, people would ask him for rain and prescriptions for the sick, and he was regarded as the most powerful person who could expel evil spirits and gods".

According to a legend recorded in Xu Dao's "A Guide to the Gods and Immortals of All Ages," Guan Gong's previous life was "the old dragon of Xie Liang," and during the time of Emperor Huan of the Han Dynasty, when the east of the river was in a severe drought for many years, the old dragon, compassionate for the masses, was the night of the clouds and mist, and drew the water of the Yellow River to give the drop. When the Jade Emperor saw that the old dragon had violated the order of heaven by taking the water without authorization, he ordered the Heavenly Cao to behead him with the sword of the law and throw his head on the ground. Solution County monks Pu Jing, found the dragon head in the creek, that is, mentioned in the hut set in the tank, for the recitation of sutra incantations for nine days, heard the sound in the tank, Kai see empty, and the creek east of the solution to the village of Liangping Baochi Guan Yi home has been a baby on the ground, the milk name of the Shou, young from the teacher to learn, take the name of the long-lived, and after the name of the feather, the word cloud long. According to the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", Guan Yu because of the origin of the evil ho leaning on the power of the people, so kill the evil ho after running away from the jianghu. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, with Liu Bei, Zhang Fei "Peach Orchard", vowed to **** life and death, with the uprising of the righteous soldiers, to fight for the world. In the fifth year of Jian'an, Cao Cao's army defeated Liu Bei. Liu Bei defected to Yuan Shao. Cao Cao captured Guan Yu and, recognizing his loyalty, made him a general. When Cao Cao realized that Guan Yu had no intention of staying, he bribed him with a large amount of gold, silver, jewels, high-ranking officials, and beautiful women, but Guan Yu was not moved by the money or the fame in the slightest. When Guan Yu learned that Liu Bei was in Yuan Shao's place, he immediately sealed his seal and went to look for Liu Bei through five hurdles and six generals. Liu Bei made himself King of Hanzhong and made Guan Yu the first of the Five Tiger Generals. Cao Cao was furious and designed with Sima Yi to join forces with Sun Quan*** to take Jingzhou. Liu Bei made Guan Yu his "Former General", and ordered him to take Fancheng. Guan Yu divided Jingzhou troops to attack Fancheng, unfortunately, in Lv Meng plan, lost Jingzhou, night walk Macheng, defeated and captured, unyielding and died. The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and later recorded: Guan Yu was killed, the spirit is still alive, wandering, until Jingzhou, Dangyang County, Yuquan Mountain over the shouting: "Give me back my head!" The mountain monk Pu Jing heard: "The past is not today is, all the truisms ...... Now the general was killed for Lu Meng, shouting 'return my head', but then Yan Liang, Wen Chou (all killed by Guan Yu) and other people's head, and to whom to ask? " Guan Yu came to his senses and converted to Buddhism.

Guan Yu's life of loyalty, righteousness, bravery and chastity was revered by Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. Ming and Qing Dynasties, Guan Yu extremely obvious, "King of Wu", "Wu Sage" of the respect, which Guan Yu is attached to the world with the Division of the fate of Locke, assessment of science and technology, curing diseases and disasters, to drive away evil evil, such as "omnipotence"! Mana, folk from all walks of life to the "God of all" Guan Di worship. The reason why people worship Guan Gong as the God of Wealth, is probably because Guan Yu is not moved by gold and silver treasures, and some of the world's greedy people

Strong contrast. People in the world, especially merchants, admired Guan Yu's loyalty and faithfulness, and wanted him to serve as their guardian god of wealth and prosperity. In addition, people wanted merchants to conduct transactions in good faith, and to uphold the traditional moral order by worshipping Guan Yu as a just man.

4, the five-way god and the profit fairy official - the god of partial wealth to attract wealth

Wenwu God of Wealth is the folk so-called god of wealth, in addition to the god of wealth, there is also the god of partial wealth, which is in terms of the location of the statue of the God of Wealth. The God of Wealth in folklore often refers to the God of Wealth known as the "Five Roads God". In "The Enchantment of Gods", the Five Gods of Wealth refer to Zhao Gongyuanshuai, Xiao Sheng (萧升), Cao Bao (曹宝), Chen Jiugong (陈九公), the Messenger of Wealth, and Yao Shaoji (姚少司), the Immortal Official of the Market of Profits. The "five gods of wealth" also refer to the head of the road and the god of traveling. Yao Fujun of the Qing Dynasty said, "The five gods are commonly known as the God of Wealth, but in fact, they are the gods of the five rituals in the line, and all the five ways to go out and get money." One of the five ways refers to the east, west, south, north and central five, meaning that going out with the blessing of the God of the Five Ways can get good luck and make a lot of money. The five gods of fortune are all auspicious gods, but also the common image of folk auspicious New Year's paintings, they are loved and worshiped by the people. The fifth day of the first month of every year is the birthday of the God of Fortune. This day just after dawn, the city and countryside can be heard a burst of firecrackers. In order to be the first to receive the God of Fortune, businessmen are more than the fourth night to hold a ceremony to welcome the God of Fortune, ready to fruit, cakes and pig's head and other sacrificial offerings, please the God of Fortune drink. At that time, the master holding incense and candles, respectively, to the southeast, northwest and north central five parties in the God of Fortune Hall to receive the God of Fortune, five God of Fortune to receive all the God of Fortune, hang up the God of Fortune paper horse, lighting incense and candles, people worship, worship, will be the God of Fortune paper horse incineration.

To the early morning of the fifth day, people opened the door first, banging gongs and drums, firecrackers, to the God of Fortune to welcome. Received the God of Fortune, we get together to eat road head wine, eat until dawn to open for business, it is said to ensure a year of "booming business, prosperity". Cai Yun's "Wu Covette" in the Qing Dynasty has a vivid description: five days of wealth five days to seek, a year's wish for a moment to pay. Beware of other places to welcome the gods early, overnight rush to grab the head of the road. The so-called "grab the head of the road," that is, to grab the five-way God of Wealth, people are scrambling to put the head of the firecrackers, so as to pray for wealth.

In the folk god of wealth, whether it is Zhao Gongyuanshuai, or blessing of the heavenly officials, always accompanied by Lixi Xianguan (one of the five gods), so Lixi Xianguan can be said to be the authentic God of partial wealth. The origin of Lishi Xianguan is recorded in "The Enchantment of Gods": Lishi Xianguan, originally named Yao Shaoji, was the disciple of Zhao Gongming, the God of Wealth, and was later appointed by Jiang Ziya as the god of welcoming auspiciousness and good fortune. The so-called "Li Shi" has three meanings: firstly, it refers to the profit gained from doing business; secondly, it refers to good luck and fortune; thirdly, it refers to the happy money for celebrations or festivals, such as New Year's money, etc. People believed in him in the hope of getting profits from his business. People believe in him in the hope that the God of Fortune blesses them with a happy life and all the best. In modern times, once the New Year, some people, especially merchants, but also the Lixi Xianguan picture posted to the door, and with the fortune-hunting children, the couplet reads: "fortune-hunting children to" and "Lixi Xianguan to", a metaphor for the prosperity, good luck and good fortune.

5, Liu Hai Toad - spread money to help the poor God of Wealth

In the Chinese folk belief in the many gods of wealth, there is a category can only be regarded as quasi-gods of wealth, meaning that the god of wealth is not the title, but because of the god can bring a certain amount of money for the people to take on a part of the god of wealth, so people will be viewed as the god of wealth. Liu Hai Toad is one of the most representative of the god of wealth. Liu Hai Toad is one of the most representative of the quasi-gods of wealth.

Liu Haichan, formerly known as Liu Hai, was a man of the Five Dynasties, with an ancestral home in Quhuo Village, Tuxian County, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province. He was a scholar of the Liao Dynasty, and later served as a prime minister in support of Liu Zongguang, the Lord of Yan. He was a scholar of the Liao Dynasty, and later served as a prime minister in support of the Yan Emperor Liu Zongguang. He practiced the "yellow and old man studies".

The "Immortals through the Ages" has a cloud: one day, a Taoist priest who called himself Zheng Yangzi (Lu Dongbin) came to see Liu Hai, Liu Hai was treated with courtesy, and the Taoist priest practiced for him, "the pure and innocent show, the essence of the Golden Elixir of the Dan"! The Taoist priest practiced for him, "the instructions of purity and no action, the essence of the Golden Elixir"! Liu Hai said in shock: "Too dangerous!" Taoist priest replied: "living in honor and fortune, to fulfill the worries, the Prime Minister's danger is even worse than this!" Liu Hai had an epiphany. After the release of the seal of the prime minister, changed his name to Liu Xuanying, Taoist name "sea toad son", worship Lu Dongbin as a teacher, to become an immortal, traveled in the clouds between the terminal South Mountain, Taihua Mountain. Yuan Shizuizu Kubilai named him "Sea Toad Mingshu Hongdao Zhenjun", and Emperor Wuzong named him "Sea Toad Mingshu Hongdao Zhenyou Di Junjun".

This seems, Liu Hai is a realization after abandoning the rich Taoist priest, this and the God of Wealth has no relationship, Liu Hai became the God of Wealth may be derived from his Taoist name - the sea toad son. Toad, that is, toad, so the creature looks ugly, secretion is very poisonous, harmful to human beings, is listed as one of the five poisons (scorpion, snake, centipede, gecko, toad). And because the toad secretion toadstools have strong heart, analgesic, bleeding and other effects, and worshiped by the people. The Taiping Yuban quoted the Xuanzhongji as saying, "Toads have horns on their heads, and if you eat them, you will live for a thousand years, and you will be able to eat mountain spirits." At that time, people regarded the toad as a good-luck object to avoid five diseases, suppress evils, help longevity, and master wealth, and it was a divine object with spiritual energy. Liu Hai was known as "Toad" and was elevated to the throne of the God of Wealth by the legend of "Liu Hai playing with the Golden Toad".

Liu Hai playing the golden toad appeared in a large number of folk paintings and paper cuttings, and painters of all generations have many masterpieces of this theme. In these works, Liu Hai are dancing, smiling image of the urchin, its hair fluffy, forehead hanging hair, hand dancing money string, a three-legged golden toad holding the other end of the string of money, for jumping, full of festive, auspicious fortune. Liu Hai played the golden toad is not a general toad, but a big three-legged golden toad, rare in the world. The golden toad was regarded as a kind of spirit, and the ancients believed that getting it could make one rich. This is the main reason why Liu Hai was portrayed as the God of Wealth. It is said that Liu Hai used a trick to pay off the golden toad, which had been practicing for many years, and became immortal. Liu Hai plays with the golden toad, which spits out money. Wherever he went, he scattered money, relieving many poor people, who honored and appreciated him and called him the "Living God". For this reason, also built the Liu Hai Temple, his story into a play, sung everywhere. 6, Zhong Kui - blessing of the God of Fortune, the God of Fortune Zhong Kui, is the traditional Chinese culture, "God of Fortune" people also called Zhong Kui "blessing of the God of Fortune, the Saint of the House". Ancient books record that he is the early Tang Dynasty Chang'an Zhanshan Mountain people (according to ancient records and evidence, Zhong Kui hometown for Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, the Qinling Mountains, Zhanshan Mountain under the Huxian Shijing Town, Xi'an Happy Valley of the Aiguquan), was born with a panther's head and ringed eyes, the gnarled sideburns of the iron face, a strange appearance; however, it is a talented, full of wisdom, plain righteousness and uprightness, treating people with integrity, the liver and gall blazing. In the Tang Xuanzong (685 ~ 762 years Ruizong Li Dan third son Li Longji, temple name "Xuanzong" named "Tang Xuanzong", and posthumous title "to the Road to the Great Sage of the Great Ming Xiao Emperor", so also known as the "Tang Ming Huang". "Tang Ming Huang", later named "Yuan Sheng Wen Shen Wu Emperor") ascended the throne (Tang Xian Kaiyuan year August 4, September 9, 712) that year, he went to Chang'an to take the examination, Zhong Kui made "Yingzhou to be feasted on" five, by the examiner known as "wondrous talent", and was selected as the first to take the examination. He was honored by the examiners as a "wunderkind", and he was selected as the top of the tributary students. However, during the palace examination (October 1, 712), the treacherous Lu Qi went so far as to judge people by their appearances, repeatedly advancing falsehoods, thus causing him to fail in his election to the first prize. Zhong Kui protested to no avail, indignant, angrily hit the temple pillar and died, shocking the sky and earth, weeping ghosts and mourning God. The emperor with the official position of the scholar funeral in the final South Fushou Ling. For the crime of envy, sent to the ridge outside the Luqi. One year in the spring, Tang Ming Huang lecture Wu Li Shan after a long illness, one day in his sleep, see a small ghost stole Yang Guifei's purple pouch and Tang Ming Huang's jade flute, jumping up and down, around the temple and run. At this time, a strange-looking, head wearing a hat, wearing a blue robe, horn belt, foot dynasty boots of the magnificence of the strong man will be the little ghost to tear some, swallowed whole, he said to the Tang Ming Huang: "I am the end of the South Mountain, under the Afuquan Jinshi Zhong Kui also, looks different from the Scholar fell out of indignation death, because of the Imperial Grace, today swore to get rid of all the world's demons with His Majesty." Tang Ming Huang woke up soon after the dream healed, and then ordered the painter Wu Daozi according to the dream painted "Zhong Kui blessing ZhenHai Tu", "Zhong Kui send wealth map" sealed Zhong Kui for the "God of Fortune blessing ZhenHai ShengJun," approved by the world, hanging Zhong Kui all year round to protect the blessing of accumulation of wealth. Folklore: blessing the house, only the real Zhong Kui; worship Zhong Kui, the list of Kui; Zhong Kui real God show, send us Fuk Luk Shou Xi An! Protect the blessings of wealth, Zhong Kui real God!