Cangdi

Chinese deity, member of the Wufang Shangdi

Cangdi (the Bluegreen Emperor) is one of the five manifestations of Shangdi . He is associated with the wood and spring. He is worshipped as the god of fertility. The Bluegreen Dragon (青龙 Qīnglóng) is both his animal form and constellation, and as a human he was Tàihào 太昊 (Fu Xi).[1] His female consort is the goddess of fertility Bixia. His planet is Jupiter.[2]

Cangdi
Diagram of the Wufang Shangdi
Major cult centreMount Tai
PredecessorHeidi (Wuxing cycle)
SuccessorChidi (Wuxing cycle)
PlanetJupiter
ConsortBixia

Overview change

The Confucian book, the Rites of Zhou, discusses the concept of the so-called "Wufang Shangdi". The Records of the Grand Historian, refers to the following: Cangdi (or Qingdi), Huangdi, Heidi, Chidi, and Baidi.[3]

Dongyue Dadi change

Cangdi
Chinese東嶽大帝
Simplified Chinese东岳大帝

Cangdi is known as Dongyue Dadi or the "Great Deity of the Eastern Peak" which refers to Mount Tai, a sacred mountain in China. [4][5]

He is worshipped in both Daoism and Chinese Buddhism with this name.[6]

Long ago, people believed that Mount Tai was a place where spirits of the dead gathered. They thought that the god of Mount Tai was the most powerful god of the underworld and controlled people's lives and status on Earth.[7] In Daoism, people say that Dōngyuèdàdì is the grandson of the Jade Emperor.[8]

During the Han dynasty, the Feng Shan ceremony was held on Mount Tai.[9] This was a very important ceremony, and the emperor had to complete it to show that he had the mandate of heaven.[10] The ceremony began in 219 BC, during the reign of Qin Shi Huang, who was the first emperor of China.[11]

Over time, the role of the Dongyue Emperor grew. He became more than a God of the local area. He became a god of life and death in general.[12] In Taiwan, people perform a ritual called the storming of the city (打城) to honor the Dongyue Emperor. This shows how his role has changed over time.[12][13]

References change

  1. Fowler, Jeaneane D. (2005). An introduction to the philosophy and religion of Taoism : pathways to immortality. Portland, Ore.: Sussex Academic Press. ISBN 1-84519-085-8. OCLC 57514728.
  2. Sun, Xiaochun; Kistemaker, Jacob (1997). The Chinese Sky During the Han: Constellating Stars and Society. Brill. ISBN 9004107371.
  3. "史記 本紀 卷六至十二". Archived from the original on 2006-02-19. Retrieved 2019-08-13.
  4. 野口鐵郎 (1994). 道教事典 [Taoist encyclopedia] (in Japanese). 平河出版社. p. 437. ISBN 978-4-89203-235-6.
  5. Fowler, Jeanine D. (2005). An Introduction to the Philosophy and Religion of Taoism: Pathways to Immortality. Sussex Academic Press. ISBN 1845190866.[permanent dead link]
  6. "首頁 > 宗教知識+ > 宗教神祇 > 東嶽大帝(Dongyue dadi)". Archived from the original on 2022-07-14. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  7. 山北篤『東洋神名事典』新紀元社2002年、p.250
  8. 山北篤『東洋神名事典』新紀元社2002年、p.250
  9. Skaff, Jonathan Karam (2012-08-06). Sui-Tang China and Its Turko-Mongol Neighbors: Culture, Power, and Connections, 580-800. Oxford University Press. pp. 146–147. ISBN 978-0-19-999627-8.
  10. Jing, Wang (1992). The Story of Stone: Intertextuality, Ancient Chinese Stone Lore, and the Stone Symbolism in Dream of the Red Chamber, Water Margin, and The Journey to the West. Durham, North Carolina: Duke Press. pp. 66–69. ISBN 082231195X.
  11. Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Mount Taishan". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2019-02-25.
  12. 12.0 12.1 "首頁 > 宗教知識+ > 宗教神祇 > 東嶽大帝(Dongyue dadi)". Archived from the original on 2022-07-14. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  13. nrch.culture.tw https://nrch.culture.tw/twpedia.aspx?id=4406. Retrieved 2023-02-12. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)