A door god is a Chinese decoration placed on each side of an entry to home, business, etc।, which is believed to keep evil spirits from entering। The custom dates back to the Tang Dynasty, whose founder Emperor Tang Taizong honoured two of his most loyal generals – Qin Shubao and Yuchi Jingde – by having their painted portraits hung on his front door. Ordinary families soon adopted the imperial custom, putting woodblock prints of the ever-vigilant generals on their front gates in the hope of attracting good luck and fending off evil spirits. So, every year on New Year's Eve, people paste up images of the Door God on their doors. The door gods usually come in pairs, facing each other; it is considered bad luck to place the figures back-to-back. There are several different forms of door gods. The most frequently used are Qin Shubao and Yuchi Jingde.
Yuchi Jingde
Qin Shubao
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Categories:
Chinese Culture,
Chinese mythology.
Author: Smith
Azure Dragon
The Azure Dragon (traditional Chinese: 青龍; simplified Chinese: 青龙;) is one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations. It is sometimes called the Azure Dragon of the East, and it represents the east and the spring season. It should not be confused with the mythological yellow dragon that is associated with the Emperor of China.
Vermilion Bird
The Vermilion Bird (Chinese: 朱雀) is one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations. According to Wu Xing, the Taoist five-elemental system, it represents the fire-elemental, the direction of south, and the season summer correspondingly. Thus it is sometimes called the Vermilion Bird of the South. It is often mistaken for Fenghuang, but they are two different creatures. Fenghuang is the king of birds, while the Vermilion Bird is a mythological spirit creature of the Chinese constellations.
White Tiger
The White Tiger (Chinese: 白虎) is one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations. It is sometimes called the White Tiger of the West, and it represents the west and the autumn season.
Black Tortoise
The Black Tortoise (Chinese: 玄武) is one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations. The word for "tortoise" was taboo; and the entire entity is not just the tortoise itself, but both the tortoise and the snake. It is sometimes called the Black Warrior of the North, and it represents the north and the winter season. Although its name in is often translated as Black Tortoise in English, it is usually depicted as both a tortoise and a snake, specifically with the snake coiling around the tortoise.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Categories:
Chinese Culture,
Chinese mythology.
Author: Smith
Here are some pictures of traditional chinese heavenly-beings/demons/hell-beings. Note that not all of them are 'evil'. Some are of governors of hell.
Bi Xie (辟邪)- Evil Deflector
Pan Guan (判官)- Judge in Hell
Qi Lang (七郎)
Qi Lang was one of the generals (the no. 7) in the General Yang family . According to folklore, he was trying to save his brother when Pan Renmei took a revenge on him by poisoning him in his drinks and later tied him onto a tree and shot him to death. Legend had it that after his death, he became the governor of all the innocent and wandering spirits between the hell and earth.
Xing Tian (刑天) - Executioner of the Heaven
Long Nu (龙女) - Dragon Lady
Ye Cha (夜叉) - the servitor of Long Nu
Er Lang (二郎) - one of the heavenly beings with a third eye that can see very far
Hu Xian (狐仙) - Fox Spirit
Ma Mian (马面) - Horse Face, working in the hell
Niu Tou (牛头) - OX Head
Ox-Head (牛头) and Horse-Face (马面) are two fearsome guardians of Underworld in Chinese mythology, where the dead face judgement (and punishment) prior to reincarnation. As indicated by their names, one has the head of an ox, and the other has the head of horse. They are the first people a dead soul meets upon arriving in the Underworld; in many stories they directly escort the newly dead to the Underworld (apparently some try to run away). Usually, the two are mentioned together (牛头马面).
Monday, April 07, 2008
Categories:
Chinese Culture,
Chinese mythology.
Author: Smith
A door god is a Chinese decoration placed on each side of an entry to home, business, etc।, which is believed to keep evil spirits from entering। The custom dates back to the Tang Dynasty, whose founder Emperor Tang Taizong honoured two of his most loyal generals – Qin Shubao and Yuchi Jingde – by having their painted portraits hung on his front door. Ordinary families soon adopted the imperial custom, putting woodblock prints of the ever-vigilant generals on their front gates in the hope of attracting good luck and fending off evil spirits. So, every year on New Year's Eve, people paste up images of the Door God on their doors. The door gods usually come in pairs, facing each other; it is considered bad luck to place the figures back-to-back. There are several different forms of door gods. The most frequently used are Qin Shubao and Yuchi Jingde.
Yuchi Jingde
Qin Shubao
