AO The Four Dragon Kings Ao Chi'in, Ao Kuang, Ao Jun, and Ao Shun, gods of
rain and the sea. Subjects of the Jade Emperor.
CH'ENG-HUANG God of moats and walls. Every village and town had its own
Ch'eng-Huang, most often a local dignitary or important person who had died
and been promoted to godhood. His divine status was revealed in dreams,
though the gods made the actual decision. Ch'eng-Huang not only protects the
community from attack but sees to it that the King of the Dead does not take
any soul from his jurisdiction without proper authority. Ch'eng-Huang also
exposes evil-doers in the community itself, usually through dreams. His
assistants are Mr. Ba Lao-ye and Mr. Hei Lao-ye -- Mr. Daywatchman and Mr.
Nightwatchman.
CHU JUNG God of fire. Chu Jung punishes those who break the laws of heaven.
KUAN TI God of war. The Great Judge who protects the people from injustice
and evil spirits. A red faced god dressed always in green. An oracle. Kuan
Ti was an actual historical figure, a general of the Han dynasty renowned for
his skill as a warrior and his justness as a ruler. There were more than 1600
temples dedicated to Kuan Ti.
KWAN YIN also KWANNON Goddess of mercy and compassion. A lady dressed in
white seated on a lotus and holding an infant. Murdered by her father, she
recited the holy books when she arrived in Hell, and the ruler of the
underworld could not make the dead souls suffer. The disgruntled god sent her
back to the world of the living, where Kwan Yin attained great spiritual
insight and was rewarded with immortality by the Buddha. A popular goddess,
Kwan Yin's temple at the Mount of the Wondrous Peak was ever filled with a
throng of pilgrims shaking rattles and setting off firecrackers to get her
attention.
LEI KUNG God of thunder. Lei Kung has the head of a bird, wings, claws and
blue skin, and his chariot is drawn by six boys. Lei Kung makes thunder with
his hammer, and his wife makes lightening with her mirrors. Lei Kung chases
away evil spirits and punishes criminals whose crimes have gone undetected.
PA HSIEN The Eight Immortals of the Taoist tradition. Ordinary mortals who,
through good works and good lives, were rewarded by the Queen Mother Wang by
giving them the peaches of everlasting life to eat. They are:
LI TIEH-KUAI Li of the Iron Crutch. A healer, Li sits as a beggar in the
market place selling wondrous drugs, some of which can revive the dead.
CHUNG-LI CH'UAN A smiling old men always beaming with joy, he was rewarded
with immortality for his ascetic life in the mountains.
LAN TS'AI-HO A young flute-player and wandering minstrel who carries a
basket laden with fruit. His soul-searching songs caused a stork to snatch
him away to the heavens.
LU TUNG-PIN A hero of early Chinese literature. Renouncing riches and the
world, he punished the wicked and rewarded the good, and slew dragons with a
magic sword.
CHANG-KUO LAO An aged hermit with miraculous abilities. Chang owned a
donkey which could travel at incredible speed. The personification of the
primordial vapor which is the source of all life.
HAN HSIANG-TZU A scholar who chose to study magic rather than prepare for
the civil service. When his uncle chastised him for studying magic, Han
Hsiang-Tzu materialized two flowers with poems written on the leaves.
TS'AO KUO-CHIU Ts'ao Kuo-Chiu tried to reform his brother, a corrupt
emperor, by reminding him that the laws of heaven are inescapable.
HO HSIEN-KU "Immortal Maiden Ho." A Cantonese girl who dreamed that she
could become immortal by eating a powder made of mother-of-pearl. She appears
only to men of great virtue.
P'AN-CHIN-LIEN Goddess of prostitutes. As a mortal, she was a widow who was
much too liberal and inventive with her favors, and her father-in-law killed
her. In death she was honored by her more professional associates and
eventually became the goddess of whores.
SHI-TIEN YEN-WANG The Lords of Death, the ten rulers of the underworld. They
dress alike in royal robes and only the wisest can tell them apart. Each
ruler presides over one court of law. In the first court a soul is judged
according to his sins in life and sentenced to one of the eight courts of
punishment. Punishment is fitted to the offense. Misers are made to drink
molten gold, liars' tongues are cut out. In the second court are incompetent
doctors and dishonest agents; in the third, forgers, liars, gossips, and
corrupt government officials; in the fifth, murderers, sex offenders and
atheists; in the sixth, the sacreligious and blasphemers; in the eighth, those
guilty of filial disrespect; in the ninth, arsonists and accident victims. In
the tenth is the Wheel of Transmigration where souls are released to be
reincarnated again after their punishment is completed. Before souls are
released, they are given a brew of oblivion, which makes them forget their
former lives.
TI-TSANG WANG God of mercy. Wandering in the caverns of Hell, a lost soul
might encounter a smilng monk whose path is illuminated by a shining pearl and
whose staff is decorated with metal rings which chime like bells. This is Ti-
Tsang Wang, who will do all he can to help the soul escape hell and even to
put an end to his eternal round of death and rebirth. Long ago, Ti-Tsang Wang
renounced Nirvana so that he could search the dark regions of Hell for souls
to save from the kings of the ten hells. Once a priest of Brahma, hev
converted to Buddhism and himself became a Buddha with special authority over
the souls of the dead.
T'SHAI-SHEN God of wealth who presides over a vast bureaucracy with many
minor deities under his authority. A majestic figure robed in exquisite
silks. T'shai-Shen is quite a popular god; even atheists worship him.
TSAO WANG God of the hearth. Every household has its own Tsao Wang. Every
year the hearth god reports on the family to the Jade Emperor, and the family
has good or bad luck during the coming year according to his report. The
hearth god's wife records every word spoken by every member of the family. A
paper image represents the hearth god and his wife, and incense is burned to
them daily. When the time came to make his report to the Jade Emperor,
sweetmeats were placed in his mouth, the paper was burned, and firecrackers
were lit to speed him on his way.
TU-TI Local gods. Minor gods of towns, villages and even streets and
households. Though far from the most important gods in the divine scheme,
they were quite popular. Usually portrayed as kindly, respectable old men,
they see to it that the domains under their protection run smoothyly.
YENG-WANG-YEH "Lord Yama King." Greatest of the Lords of Death. Yeng-Wang-
Yeh judges all souls newly arrived to the land of the dead and decides whether
to send them to a special court for punishment or put them back on the Wheel
of Transmigration.
YU-HUANG-SHANG-TI "Father Heaven." The August Supreme Emperor of Jade, whose
court is in the highest level of heaven, originally a sky god. The Jade
Emperor made men, fashioning them from clay. His heavenly court resembles the
earthly court in all ways, having an army, a bureaucracy, a royal family and
parasitical courtiers. The Jade Emperor's rule is orderly and without
caprice. The seasons come and go as they should, yin is balanced with yang,
good is rewarded and evil is punished. As time went on, the Jade Emperor
became more and more remote to men, and it became customary to approach him
through his doorkeeper, the Transcendental Dignitary. The Jade Emperor sees
and hears everything; even the softest whisper is as loud as thunder to the
Jade Emperor.