Out of the San Xing I have made posts on two of them specifically, Shou and Fu. This is of the third member of the San Xing, Lu, whom is also known as God of Prosperity. Lu’s name is said to mean “official’s salary” and to be the god who blessed intellectuals with a position in civil service.
Lu is the god of wealth, honour and status, and has the symbol of the stag. Often depicted holding a gold ingot, child or scroll, all symbols of prosperity.
Originally, Lu was a poor man of the name Shi Fen who was given a minor position at court as a scholar. Working hard along with constantly learning to hopefully gain a high position, he became a favourite of Emperor Jing and was made a high official of the royal court. Thanks to Emperor Jing, Lu and his family prospered.
Legend states that Lu descends from Heaven on the first day of the Chinese New Year to inspect his followers and goes back to Heaven on the second day. Due to this, many offer incense to Lu and eat dumplings on the first day and burn an image of Lu on the second day as a way to say farewell.
Showing posts with label San Xing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label San Xing. Show all posts
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Gods And Goddesses: Fu
Fu (also called Fu Xing) is the god of happiness and good fortune plus a part of a group called San-Xing. Fu is also symbolized by the bat and his name means “Lucky Star”. Fu can be told apart by his usually blue or green clothes of a civil servant, a ’winged’ hat and in the company of children.
Fu is said to have been a sixth century government official called Yang Cheng from a village known as Dao Zhou. People of Dao Zhou were notably short and every year the emperor would summon a large number of these people to his court as the emperor loved to be around such short people.
The short people never went back to their town of Dao Zhou and the emperor summoned more and more of these people to his court, in turn the population of Dao Zhou was reduced greatly over time. Fu eventually requested the emperor to show consideration for the people of his hometown, moving the emperor so much with the request that he never again summoned the short people of Dao Zhou.
Fu’s name is a common symbol in Chinese literature where it represents happiness and good fortune to which it is common to find it in Chinese households and businesses.
Fu is also commonly mistaken for another god, Tian Guan, who is also a god of good fortune.
Fu is said to have been a sixth century government official called Yang Cheng from a village known as Dao Zhou. People of Dao Zhou were notably short and every year the emperor would summon a large number of these people to his court as the emperor loved to be around such short people.
The short people never went back to their town of Dao Zhou and the emperor summoned more and more of these people to his court, in turn the population of Dao Zhou was reduced greatly over time. Fu eventually requested the emperor to show consideration for the people of his hometown, moving the emperor so much with the request that he never again summoned the short people of Dao Zhou.
Fu’s name is a common symbol in Chinese literature where it represents happiness and good fortune to which it is common to find it in Chinese households and businesses.
Fu is also commonly mistaken for another god, Tian Guan, who is also a god of good fortune.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Gods And Goddesses: Shou
Shou is a highly popular god, often seen with two other gods known as Fu and Lu. When these three gods are together they are known as the Three Blessings, Three Stars or the San Xing. Shou himself is also known as Shou Xing, Shou Lao, Nan Ji Xian Weng, the Star of Longevity and Star of the South Pole. As you can see by the title of Star of Longevity, Shou is the god of longevity. It is even said that Shou can control the life spans of mortals.
Shou himself can be easily recognized by his high bald head and beard but also by what he carries, a peach wood staff which holds onto his bottle gourd and a peach of immortality. Shou is sometimes seen with a crane and symbolically Shou is represented as a mushroom, deer or a turtle.
In legend it is said that Shou was born after nine long years in his mothers womb. It is said that his mother ended up pregnant by looking at the Star of the South Pole, in which the mother was supposed to carry the child for ten years until born. It was said that on the tenth year of the pregnancy the eyes of a stone dragon would turn red, but the mother was impatient and had the stone dragons eyes painted red with blood. Painting the stone dragons eyes did the trick and a baby was born in which the baby was then on known as Shou Xing seeing as it is said that his mother became pregnant by looking at the Star of the South Pole.
Shou is also said to have also been called Zhao Yen and was destined to die at the age of 19. Under the advice of a fortune teller to go to a field with wine and some food but to not answer any questions, Shou found two men playing a game. Shou offered the food and wine to these two men, in which the two men revealed their identities, the gods of Birth and Death also known as the God of the North Pole (who determines the day people are born) and the God of the South Pole (who fixes the dates of death). Shou’s life was given an extension for the food and wine, the 19 had been reversed into a 91.
Shou has been bald since birth and was embarrassed to go out into the public because of this. So instead of going out to the public Shou went to the hills practicing both meditation and the Tao. Eventually Shou decided to travel deep into the hills in which no one else had dared to. After many years Shou came out of the hills and went to the village he used to live in, carrying his peach wood staff with its gourd hanging off it and with his peach of immortality. Not only that but Shou had grown a beard.
Shou went to a place called Bianliang and his appearance caught the attention of many, this caused Shou to be brought to the Emperor who asked Shou who he was and for his age. Shou is said to have not answered the Emperor’s questions but simply asked for some dates and wine to drink. After Shou drank some wine without saying a word the Emperor sent Shou away. Shou did actually went away as the next day the Emperor was advised that the old man who was given wine and didn’t say much was probably the God of Longevity and couldn’t be found.
It is even said that a man saw Shou ascend to Heaven on a cloud of smoke.
Shou himself can be easily recognized by his high bald head and beard but also by what he carries, a peach wood staff which holds onto his bottle gourd and a peach of immortality. Shou is sometimes seen with a crane and symbolically Shou is represented as a mushroom, deer or a turtle.
In legend it is said that Shou was born after nine long years in his mothers womb. It is said that his mother ended up pregnant by looking at the Star of the South Pole, in which the mother was supposed to carry the child for ten years until born. It was said that on the tenth year of the pregnancy the eyes of a stone dragon would turn red, but the mother was impatient and had the stone dragons eyes painted red with blood. Painting the stone dragons eyes did the trick and a baby was born in which the baby was then on known as Shou Xing seeing as it is said that his mother became pregnant by looking at the Star of the South Pole.
Shou is also said to have also been called Zhao Yen and was destined to die at the age of 19. Under the advice of a fortune teller to go to a field with wine and some food but to not answer any questions, Shou found two men playing a game. Shou offered the food and wine to these two men, in which the two men revealed their identities, the gods of Birth and Death also known as the God of the North Pole (who determines the day people are born) and the God of the South Pole (who fixes the dates of death). Shou’s life was given an extension for the food and wine, the 19 had been reversed into a 91.
Shou has been bald since birth and was embarrassed to go out into the public because of this. So instead of going out to the public Shou went to the hills practicing both meditation and the Tao. Eventually Shou decided to travel deep into the hills in which no one else had dared to. After many years Shou came out of the hills and went to the village he used to live in, carrying his peach wood staff with its gourd hanging off it and with his peach of immortality. Not only that but Shou had grown a beard.
Shou went to a place called Bianliang and his appearance caught the attention of many, this caused Shou to be brought to the Emperor who asked Shou who he was and for his age. Shou is said to have not answered the Emperor’s questions but simply asked for some dates and wine to drink. After Shou drank some wine without saying a word the Emperor sent Shou away. Shou did actually went away as the next day the Emperor was advised that the old man who was given wine and didn’t say much was probably the God of Longevity and couldn’t be found.
It is even said that a man saw Shou ascend to Heaven on a cloud of smoke.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)