A RECORD OF ALL THINGS UNDER HEAVEN
As gathered from the oldest accounts that remain
PROLOGUE — CHAPTER NINETEEN
On the Matter of Caishen — 財神 — the God of Wealth
His name is Caishen — 財神.
Cai — 財 — means wealth. Money. Property.
Shen — 神 — means god. Deity.
Together — 財神 — the God of Wealth.
He is also called Caishen Ye — 財神爺 — Grandfather God of Wealth.
He is also called Caibo Xingjun — 財帛星君 — the Star Lord of Wealth and Silk.
He is the patron deity of merchants — 商人 — shangren.
He is the patron deity of traders — 商賈 — shanggu.
He is the patron deity of all who seek financial success.
He is the most widely worshipped deity in China today.
He is not one god.
He is many gods.
The term Caishen is a collective name.
It covers a wide range of figures — historical personages, legendary heroes, military generals, loyal officials — all identified as his incarnations.
This record notes: there is no agreement in Chinese folk religion as to who or what Caishen truly is.
The texts present multiple incarnations.
All verified incarnations are recorded here.
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On his domains.
He bestows prosperity — 繁榮 — fanrong.
He bestows wealth — 財富 — caifu.
He bestows financial success — 財務成功 — caiwu chenggong.
He protects against financial disaster — 財務災難 — caiwu zainan.
He governs celestial beings responsible for wealth.
He governs deities associated with the reception of treasures.
He governs emissaries for wealth attraction.
He governs officials of prosperity.
He can create gold from ordinary materials.
He possesses a golden rod — 金鞭 — jin bian — capable of transmuting iron into gold.
In some accounts this rod transmutes stone.
In later myths it transmutes lead.
Because of this ability he is sometimes described as an alchemist — 煉金術士 — lianjin shushi.
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On his appearance.
He rides a black tiger — 黑虎 — hei hu.
He holds a golden rod — 金鞭 — jin bian — or a gold ingot — 金元寶 — jin yuanbao.
He wears armor in his military incarnations.
He wears official robes — 官服 — guanfu — in his civil incarnations.
He is attended by servants carrying symbols of wealth.
Gold ingots — 金元寶 — jin yuanbao.
Treasure bags — 寶袋 — baodai.
Coral — 珊瑚 — shanhu.
Pearls — 珍珠 — zhenzhu.
He is sometimes depicted with a Pixiu — 貔貅 — a mythical creature that attracts wealth and never releases what it consumes.
He is sometimes depicted as a door god — 門神 — Menshen — at the entrance of Taoist temples.
When depicted as a door god he usually stands alongside the Burning-Lamp Taoist — 燃燈道人 — Randeng Daoren.
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On the first incarnation. Zhao Gongming — 趙公明.
Zhao Gongming — 趙公明 — is the most prominent form of Caishen on the Chinese mainland.
He is also called Zhao Gong Yuanshuai — 趙公元帥 — Lord Zhao the Marshal.
His birthday is the fifth day of the first lunar month — 正月初五 — zheng yue chu wu.
Some sources record his birthday as the fifteenth day of the third lunar month — 三月十五 — san yue shi wu.
Both dates are observed in different regions.
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On the earliest records of Zhao Gongming.
During the Han dynasty — 漢朝 — Han Chao — the Taoist book Record of Canonical Texts — 典籍實錄 — Dianjii Shilu — states that Zhao Gongming is the essence of the sun — 太陽之精 — taiyang zhi jing.
During the Jin dynasty — 晉朝 — Jin Chao — the Records of the Search for Spirits — 搜神記 — Soushen Ji — records: the Heavenly Emperor appointed Zhao Gongming and Zhong Shiji — 鐘士季 — to supervise the subjugation of spirits and the retrieval of human souls.
In this early account he is not a god of wealth.
He is a marshal of the dead.
He governed souls.
He subdued spirits.
He was not yet associated with money.
This is recorded honestly.
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On how Zhao Gongming became Caishen.
The Fengshen Yanyi — 封神演義 — Investiture of the Gods — a novel of the Ming dynasty — 明朝 — Ming Chao — contains the most complete account of his transformation.
In the Fengshen Yanyi, Zhao Gongming was a Taoist hermit — 道士 — daoshi — with magical powers.
He lived on Mount Emei — 峨眉山 — Emei Shan.
He was a close friend of General Wen Zhong — 聞仲 — a loyal minister of King Zhou — 紂王 — of the Shang dynasty.
King Zhou of Shang sought his assistance.
Zhao Gongming entered the war between the Shang and Zhou dynasties on the side of the Shang.
He fought against Jiang Ziya — 姜子牙 — who commanded the Zhou forces.
He captured four of Jiang Ziya's generals.
He besieged the city of Xiqi — 西岐 — for many months.
A rival immortal named Luya Daoren — 陸壓道人 — created a straw effigy — 草人 — cao ren — of Zhao Gongming.
He wrote Zhao Gongming's name on it.
He performed a ritual over twenty-one days.
He shot three arrows through the effigy.
One through the eyes. One through the heart. One through the throat.
Zhao Gongming fell ill.
He died.
Zhao Gongming's three sisters sought revenge.
Their names were Zhao Yunxiao — 趙雲霄 — Zhao Qiongxiao — 趙瓊霄 — and Zhao Bixiao — 趙碧霄.
They were killed in the war that followed.
After the Zhou victory, Jiang Ziya assembled the new celestial order.
He placed Zhao Gongming on the Fengshen Platform — 封神台 — Fengshen Tai.
He gave him the title: President of the Ministry of Wealth — 金龍如意正一龍虎玄壇真君 — the True Lord of the Black Altar.
He also gave him four subordinates:
Zhao Bao — 招寶 — meaning summon treasure.
Na Zhen — 納珍 — meaning receive precious things.
Zhao Cai — 招財 — meaning summon wealth.
Li Shi — 利市 — meaning favorable market.
Together Zhao Gongming and his four subordinates govern wealth across all directions.
This group is called the Wu Lu Caishen — 五路財神 — the Five Paths God of Wealth.
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On the Five Paths God of Wealth — 五路財神 — Wu Lu Caishen.
Wu — 五 — means five.
Lu — 路 — means road. Path. Direction.
Together — 五路財神 — the God of Wealth of the Five Paths.
He is believed to stand at the ends and center of all compass points.
Each direction has its own Caishen.
The Center — 中 — Zhong — Zhao Gongming. For military wealth and general prosperity.
The East — 東 — Dong — Xiao Sheng — 蕭升. For wealth in collected treasures.
The West — 西 — Xi — Cao Bao — 曹寶. For wealth in collected valuables.
The South — 南 — Nan — Chen Jiu Gong — 陳九公. For attracting wealth.
The North — 北 — Bei — Yao Shao Si — 姚少司. For financial profits.
Northeast — 東北 — Dongbei — Shen Wansan — 沈萬三. For wealth in gold.
Southeast — 東南 — Dongnan — Cai Gong — 蔡公. For commercial wealth.
Southwest — 西南 — Xinan — Cai Mu — 蔡母. For household wealth.
Northwest — 西北 — Xibei — Li Guizu — 李詭祖. For agricultural wealth.
Nine incarnations. Nine directions. Nine aspects of wealth.
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On the second incarnation. Bi Gan — 比干.
Bi Gan — 比干 — is the Civil God of Wealth — 文財神 — Wen Caishen.
He was a prince of the Shang dynasty — 商朝 — Shang Chao.
He was the son of King Wen Ding — 文丁.
He was the uncle of King Zhou — 紂王 — Di Xin — the last and most tyrannical emperor of the Shang.
He was known for his wisdom and his loyalty.
He repeatedly remonstrated against King Zhou's corrupt decrees.
He attempted to correct the king's evil behavior.
King Zhou grew tired of his uncle's corrections.
King Zhou's consort Daji — 妲己 — a fox spirit in many accounts — despised Bi Gan.
She told King Zhou: a sage's heart has seven openings — 七竅 — qi qiao. Let us see if this man is truly a sage.
King Zhou had Bi Gan's heart cut from his chest.
To inspect it.
Bi Gan died.
In some accounts a Taoist immortal gave Bi Gan a talisman before this event.
The talisman allowed Bi Gan to survive the extraction briefly.
He walked through the market.
A woman called to him: without a heart, how can you live?
He fell dead on the spot.
After the Zhou victory, he was deified.
Because Bi Gan had no heart — 無心 — wu xin — he was considered a neutral judge in all financial matters.
He could not favor any party.
He could not be bribed.
He had no personal interest.
He judged all business fairly.
This is the mythological explanation for why a heartless man became the Civil God of Wealth.
Bi Gan's son Quan — 泉 — was honored as the ancestor of all people with the surname Lin — 林 — by King Wu of Zhou — 周武王 — Zhou Wu Wang.
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On the third incarnation. Fan Li — 范蠡.
Fan Li — 范蠡 — was a real historical figure of the Spring and Autumn period — 春秋時期 — Chunqiu Shiqi.
He lived from approximately 536 to 448 before the common era.
He was the chief advisor to King Goujian — 勾踐 — of the state of Yue — 越國.
King Goujian was defeated by the state of Wu — 吳國.
He was taken captive.
Fan Li accompanied him into captivity.
They endured three years of imprisonment together.
Fan Li carried out economic reforms.
He improved the kingdom's finances during this period.
His reforms enabled Goujian to ultimately defeat Wu in 493 before the common era.
After the victory Fan Li resigned his position.
He renamed himself Tao Zhu Gong — 陶朱公 — the Lord of Tao and Zhu.
He went into business.
He became extraordinarily wealthy.
He became one of the most successful merchants in Chinese history.
He is the first wealthy businessman recorded by name in Chinese history.
He became Caishen because he demonstrated that virtue and intelligence produce wealth.
He is worshipped as a Civil God of Wealth alongside Bi Gan.
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On the fourth incarnation. Li Guizu — 李詭祖.
Li Guizu — 李詭祖 — was born in Zichuan District — 淄川區 — Zichuan Qu — in Shandong province — 山東省 — Shandong Sheng.
He held the position of a county magistrate — 縣令 — xianling.
He contributed significantly to his district.
He was known for his integrity and his genuine care for the people under his administration.
After his death the people built a temple in his honor.
The Wude Emperor — 武德帝 — Wu De Di — of the Tang dynasty — 唐朝 — Tang Chao — officially conferred upon Li Guizu the title of Caibo Xingjun — 財帛星君 — Star Lord of Wealth and Silk.
This official conferral linked Li Guizu permanently to the Caishen tradition.
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On Guan Yu — 關羽 — as Caishen.
Guan Yu — 關羽 — the great general of the Three Kingdoms period — 三國時代 — San Guo Shidai — is also worshipped as a form of Caishen in some regions.
He is especially popular in business communities in Hong Kong — 香港 — Xianggang — and Taiwan — 台灣 — Taiwan.
He is also worshipped in criminal organizations and police departments simultaneously.
Both worship the same god.
He represents loyalty — 忠義 — zhongyi — which business people associate with trustworthy partnerships.
His chapter is recorded later in this record.
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On the New Year greeting.
The most common Chinese New Year greeting is:
Gong Xi Fa Cai — 恭喜發財.
Gong Xi — 恭喜 — means congratulations. Respectful joy.
Fa — 發 — means to prosper. To grow. To expand.
Cai — 財 — means wealth.
Together: Congratulations on your prosperity.
Or: May you grow wealthy.
This is the greeting spoken by every Chinese person to every other Chinese person at the new year.
It is addressed to Caishen as much as to the recipient.
The greeting is itself an invocation.
To say it is to summon the wealth god's attention.
To receive it is to receive his blessing.
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On welcoming Caishen at New Year.
On New Year's Eve — 除夕 — Chu Xi — families open their doors and windows at midnight.
They light firecrackers — 鞭炮 — bianpao.
They burn incense — 香 — xiang.
They invite Caishen to enter the household.
On the second day of the first lunar month — 正月初二 — zheng yue chu er — ceremonies are held to honor the god.
On the fifth day of the first lunar month — 正月初五 — zheng yue chu wu — the most important ceremony is held.
This day is called Po Wu — 破五 — Breaking the Fifth.
It is the day Zhao Gongming is most widely welcomed.
Businesses reopen on this day specifically to receive Caishen's blessing for the new business year.
At noon on this day it is customary to eat dumplings — 餃子 — jiaozi — known as Yuanbao Tang — 元寶湯 — Treasure Ingot Soup.
The dumplings are shaped like gold ingots.
Eating them is eating wealth.
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On the worship ritual.
Offerings to Caishen include:
Fish — 魚 — yu — because the word for fish sounds like the word for surplus — 余 — yu.
Lamb — 羊 — yang — a traditional offering.
Whole pig — 豬 — zhu.
Whole chicken — 雞 — ji.
Live red carp — 活紅鯉魚 — huo hong liyu.
Prominent businesses present all five together.
This is called the Five Great Offerings — 五大供品 — Wu Da Gongpin.
Paper ingots are burned.
Incense is burned.
Firecrackers are lit.
The louder the firecrackers, the more wealth is invited in.
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On the suppression and revival.
During the Maoist era — 毛澤東時代 — Mao Zedong Shidai — the new Chinese government sought to eliminate the people's need for gods.
Caishen was one of the primary targets.
Temples were demolished.
Statues were destroyed.
The worship of Caishen declined severely.
It survived among the Chinese diaspora — 海外華人 — haiwai huaren — in Southeast Asia, Taiwan, and overseas communities.
With China's economic reforms — 改革開放 — Gaige Kaifang — beginning in 1978, a resurgence in Caishen's popularity occurred.
The economic transformation mirrored the revival of his worship.
A large temple of Caishen was built in Zhouzhi — 周至 — Xi'an — Shaanxi province — 陝西省 — Shaanxi Sheng — in the 2000s.
He is now one of the most prominently worshipped deities in contemporary China.
He survived elimination.
He did not require a dynasty to restore him.
The people restored him themselves when the conditions changed.
END OF CHAPTER NINETEEN