 | This articlerelies largely or entirely on asingle source. Relevant discussion may be found on thetalk page. Please helpimprove this article byintroducing citations to additional sources. Find sources: "Caishen" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(February 2024) |
| Caishen | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 財神 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 财神 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | "God of Wealth" | ||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
Caishen (traditional Chinese:財神;simplified Chinese:财神;lit. 'God of Wealth') is themythological figure worshipped in theChinese folk religion andTaoism. He has been identified with many historical figures, viewed as his embodied forms, among whomZhao Gongming (趙公明,Wade–Giles:Chao Kung-ming; also known asZhao GongYuanshuai趙公元帥 "Lord Zhao the Marshal"),Fan Li, andBi Gan.[1] A large temple of Caishen was built in the 2000s inZhouzhi,Xi'an,Shaanxi.
Caishen's name is often invoked during theChinese New Year celebrations.[1] He is often depicted riding a blacktiger and holding a golden rod. He may also be depicted with an iron tool capable of turning stone andiron intogold.
Several versions of Caishen's incarnations' political affiliation and way of deification are circulated.[1] It is unclear whether they are genuine historical figures, though most of the stories agree that Caishen's most popular incarnation lived during the earlyQin dynasty. Most probably it represents the merging of several heterogeneous legends, the one of Bi Gan being the most ancient.
Legend has it that Bi Gan had a wife with the surnameChen. His son was Quan (泉). After Bi Gan was put to death by his nephewKing Zhou of Shang, Bi Gan's wife and son escaped into the woods. His death eventually marked the collapse of theShang dynasty. Later on, Quan was honoured as the ancestor of allLins byKing Wu of Zhou.
Notwithstanding the above, there is another legendary character of the Chinese God of Wealth which is generally known as Caibo Xingjun (財帛星君) amongst Chinese communities. Li Guizu (李詭祖) was born in theZichuan District inShandong Province and held position as a country magistrate. Li Guizu contributed significantly to the district, whilst people built a temple to worship Li Guizu after his death. The late Li Guizu was then conferred the title Caibo Xingjun by the Wude Emperor ofTang dynasty.
| No. | Direction | Name | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Center (中路財神) | Zhao Gong Ming (趙公明) | Military God of Wealth (武財神) |
| 2 | East (東路財神) | Xiao Sheng (蕭升) | God of Collecting Treasures (招寶天尊) |
| 3 | West (西路財神) | Cao Bao (曹寶) | God of Collecting Valuables (納珍天尊) |
| 4 | North (北路財神) | Yao Shao Si (姚少司) | God of Profitability (利市仙官) |
| 5 | South (南路財神) | Chen Jiu Gong (陳九公) | God of Attracting Wealth (招財使者) |
| 6 | South-East (東南路財神) | Han Xin Ye (韓信爺) | God of Gambling (大賭神) |
| 7 | South-West (西南路財神) | Liu Hai (劉海) | God of Luck (偏財神) |
| 8 | North-East (東北路財神) | Shen Wansan (沈萬三) | God of Gold (金財神) |
| 9 | North-West (西北路財神) | Tao Zhugong (陶朱公) | Civil God of Wealth (文財神) |
Caishen sometimes appears as adoor god inChinese andTaoist temples, usually in partnership with theBurning-Lamp Taoist.
Though Caishen is a Chinese folk deity, manyPure Land Buddhists venerate him as a buddha. Inesoteric Buddhist schools he is identified asJambhala.
Media related toGod of Wealth at Wikimedia Commons