The God of Wealth is one of the commonly worshipped good gods in Chinese folk culture. Every New Year, every household hangs a statue of the God of Wealth, hoping that the God of Wealth will bless and seek great fortune. There are also some restaurants and eateries that often serve the God of Wealth or Guan Yu. Guan Yu, also known as Guan Yu, is a well-known figure in China. When did Guan Gong become the God of Wealth?
Why is Guan Er Ye worshipped as the God of Wealth in Martial Arts? There are different opinions in different dynasties in later generations
Guan Yu was originally a historical figure during the Three Kingdoms period. In historical books, Guan Yu only changed from a “general” to a “marquis”, and did not become a god. According to Chen Shou’s “Records of the Three Kingdoms” during the Western Jin Dynasty, Guan Yu was a hero in turbulent times, with a full face of beard and a brave and courageous character in battle. He swore to die together with Liu Bei, not to buy Cao Cao’s account, and to “fully honor all his gifts and bid farewell with a letter”. Later, due to the defeat in the Battle of Jingzhou, Guan Yu died in the present-day Anyuan area of Hubei. During his life, Guan Yu was enfeoffed twice. One time, after beheading Yan Liang for Cao Cao, he was conferred the title of “Marquis of Han Shouting”. The other time, after his death, he was posthumously honored as “Marquis of Zhuangmu” by the Shu Kingdom. However, all historical records at that time did not mention that he was a god. So, when did Guan Yu become the God of Wealth?
Why is Guan Er Ye worshipped as the God of Wealth in Martial Arts? There are different opinions in different dynasties in later generations
During the Sui and Tang dynasties, Guan Yu began to be deified. According to the Tang Dynasty’s “Record of the Reconstruction of the Yuquan Temple”, there is a legend that Guan Yu helped the Sui Dynasty’s Master Zhi build the Yuquan Temple. It is said that “Guan Yu was born as a wise man, but not a god… The rise and fall of the country, the abundance and scarcity of the year, so he became a disciple” (Volume 664 of the Complete Tang Dynasty Annals).
According to historical records, Guan Yu was appointed as a former general and Marquis of Han Shouting during the Shu Han period. Guan Yu’s fiefdom was the longevity land of Liu Shu Han, located in present-day Sichuan province. Tinghou was the lowest ranking of the five feudal lords in the Han Dynasty. Emperor Huizong of Song conferred the title of King Wu’an, and subsequently conferred it multiple times. Ming Wanli first conferred the title of “Great Emperor of the Three Realms Suppressing Demons”, while the Qing Dynasty conferred it ten times. “In the first year of Shunzhi, the ceremony for worshiping Emperor Guan was established. In the ninth year, the title of Loyalty and Righteousness God and Martial Arts God and Holy Emperor Guan was conferred.” (Qianlong 23rd year) The title of “Loyalty and Righteousness God and Martial Arts Spirit Blessing God and Holy Emperor Guan” was conferred on Emperor Guan
Why is Guan Er Ye worshipped as the God of Wealth in Martial Arts? There are different opinions in different dynasties in later generations
In the fifth year of the Guangxu reign (1879), Guan Yu’s title lasted for twenty-four characters and he was bestowed with the title of “Loyalty, Righteousness, Divine Martial Arts, Spiritual Blessing, Divine Bravery, Mightyness, Protection of the People, Sincere Pacification, Yizan, Xuande, Guansheng Emperor”, which was unprecedented and astonishing.
The rulers of the court are so enthusiastic, which naturally affects the enthusiasm of the people. During the Tang Dynasty, Guan Yu was known as “Guan Sanlang” among the people. What did “Guan Sanlang” do? Its task is just to supervise the monks in the temple.
Why is Guan Er Ye worshipped as the God of Wealth in Martial Arts? There are different opinions in different dynasties in later generations
In the Song Dynasty, people’s attention to Guan Yu was reflected in the construction of the Guan Wang Temple, which gradually became a scenery at that time. During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, Guan Yu was granted the highest Taoist title, “God of the Three Realms and Demon Suppressing Emperor Shenwei Yuanzhen Tianzun Guansheng Di Jun”. In the Qing Dynasty, the trend of building Guanwang Temple continued to grow, with no land left in remote and impoverished areas, and Guan Gong became the protector of various industries. Perhaps they felt that this did not give enough importance to Guan Gong, so people appointed him as the “God of Wealth” again. So in the Qing Dynasty, the role of Guan Gong underwent a transformation.
Why is Guan Er Ye worshipped as the God of Wealth in Martial Arts? There are different opinions in different dynasties in later generations
There is also a belief that Guan Gong’s becoming the God of Wealth is related to Shanxi merchants. Shanxi merchants regarded Guan Gong as a protective deity when they were away from home and built Guan Temples in their guild halls throughout the country. Because they needed to take care of each other and face difficulties together when wandering around the world, they often formed alliances of brothers with different surnames, imitating the ‘Peach Garden Oath’. This also made Guan Gong’s virtues of loyalty and righteousness widely spread. Later, Jin merchants became the richest in the world, and other businessmen followed suit, making Guan Gong the recognized God of Wealth.