Chinese folk religion: Encyclopedia - Chinese folk religion

Chinese folk religion

Chinese folk religion comprises the religion practiced in much of China for thousands of years which included ancestor worship and drew heavily upon concepts and beings within Chinese mythology. It is a constituent part of Chinese traditional religion.

Folk religions have been practiced alongside Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism by Chinese people throughout the world for thousands of years. Worship, legends, festivals and various devotions associated with different folk gods and goddesses form an important part of Chinese culture even today. The worship of secondary gods does not conflict with an individual's chosen religion, but is accepted as a complementary adjunct to Buddhism, Confucianism or Taoism. Some mythical figures in folk culture have even been integrated into Buddhism as in the case of Miao Shan who is generally thought of having evolved into the Buddhist bodhisattva Kuan Yin. Other folk gods may date back to pre-Buddhist eras of Chinese history.

There are hundreds of different gods and goddeses as well as "saints," immortals and demigods. Historical figures noted for their bravery or virtue are also venerated and honored with their own festivals after the are apotheosized. The following list represents deities currently worshipped:

(NOTE: This list is severely incomplete and cannot be considered a clear representation)

• The Jade Emperor, who stands in relation to the other gods as the human emperors of old did to China's bureacracy.

• Tudigong, the "God of the earth", a sort of genius loci who protects a local place (especially hills), and whose statue may be found in roadside shrines. He is also the god of wealth, by virtue of his connection with the earth (think minerals and buried treasure).

• Cai Shen ("god of wealth"), who is another character.

• Guanyu, the red-faced, bearded hero of Romance of the Three Kingdoms and symbol of loyalty.

• Mazu (媽祖), the patron goddess of sailors, is especially popular in Fujian and Taiwan.

• Baosheng Dadi, the "Great Emperor Protecting Life." A sort of divine physician, whose powers extend to raising the dead. Another Fujian / Taiwan deity.

• Xiwangmu (西王母), the "Queen Mother of the West" who reigns over a paradisial mountain and has the power to make others immortal.

• The Eight Immortals (ba xian, 八仙) are important literary and artistic figures as well as objects of worship.

• Chiye ("Seventh Lord") and Baye ("Eighth Lord"), two generals and best friends, often seen as giant puppets in street parades. 7 is black, because he drowned rather than miss his appointment to meet with 8, even though a flood was coming. 8 has his tongue sticking out, because he hanged himself in mourning for 7.

• Zao Shen, the "Kitchen God" mentioned in the title of Amy Tan's novel, The Kitchen God's Wife. He reports to heaven on the behavior of the family of the house once a year, at Chinese New Year, and is given sticky rice in order to render his speech less comprehensible on that occasion.

• Wenchangdi ("Emperor Promoting Culture"). Worshipped by students who wish to pass their examinations.

• Zhusheng Niangniang ("Birth-Registry Lady"). Worshipped by people who want children, or who want their child to be a boy.

• Yuexia Laoren ("Old Man Under the Moon"). The matchmaker who pairs lovers together, worshipped by those seeking their partner.

• Hu Ye ("Lord Tiger"), a guardian spirit.

In many ways, gods of Chinese folk religion are counterparts of humanity. Their domain, tien or heaven, is a mirror image of earth. The gods have social hierarchies: the Jade Emperor is the counterpart of the earthly emperor, and his subjects the lesser gods, observe the social protocols as strictly as their earthly counterparts. The gods also live variously in palaces or households much in the same way as the people who worship them and they frequently exhibit very human foibles. According to accounts in the Feng shen yen i in 1122 BCE, during the Chou Dynasty, the gods, demigods and other immortals even engaged in a long drawn-out battle with each other over which dynasty should rule China.

The distinction between heavenly beings and humans was first made in the ancient Book of Rites. Although the Chinese have venerated their ancestors for thousands of years, the worship of tien and everything associated with it is distinct from the veneration of humans such as ancestors or venerable figures such as Confucius who belong to the category of spirits known as kuei.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Chinese folk religion", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki