A RECORD OF ALL THINGS UNDER HEAVEN
As gathered from the oldest accounts that remain
PROLOGUE — CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
On the Matter of Guan Yu — 關羽 — the Sacred Emperor Guan
His name is Guan Yu — 關羽.
Guan — 關 — is his family name.
Yu — 羽 — means feather. Wings.
His courtesy name — 字 — zi — is Yunchang — 雲長 — meaning Long Cloud.
His original courtesy name was Changsheng — 長生 — meaning Long Life. He changed it.
He is also called Guan Gong — 關公 — Lord Guan.
He is also called Guan Di — 關帝 — Emperor Guan.
He is also called Guan Sheng Di Jun — 關聖帝君 — Saintly Emperor Guan.
He is also called San Jie Fu Mo Da Di — 三界伏魔大帝 — the Demon-Subduing Emperor Across the Three Realms.
He is also called Mei Ran Gong — 美髯公 — Lord Magnificent Beard.
He is also called Yi Gor — 二哥 — Second Elder Brother. This is the Cantonese name used in Hong Kong.
In Buddhism he is called Sangharama Bodhisattva — 伽藍菩薩 — Qiela Pusa — the Bodhisattva Protector of Temples.
He was a real person.
He died in 219 or 220 of the common era.
He has been worshipped for over one thousand years.
He is the patron of soldiers — 士兵 — shibing.
He is the patron of police — 警察 — jingcha.
He is the patron of merchants — 商人 — shangren.
He is the patron of triads — 三合會 — San He Hui.
The police and the triads worship the same god.
This is recorded.
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On the note regarding sources.
Two primary sources exist for Guan Yu.
The first is the Sanguozhi — 三國志 — Records of the Three Kingdoms — compiled by Chen Shou — 陳壽 — in approximately 280 of the common era. This is the authoritative historical record. It was written within living memory of the events it describes.
The second is the Sanguo Yanyi — 三國演義 — Romance of the Three Kingdoms — written by Luo Guanzhong — 羅貫中 — in the fourteenth century of the common era. This is a historical novel. It contains both historical facts and fictional embellishments.
This record distinguishes clearly between the two sources throughout.
What the Sanguozhi records is history.
What only the Romance records is legend.
Both are valuable. Both are recorded here. Both are labeled.
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On his early life.
The Sanguozhi records: Guan Yu was from Jie County — 解縣 — Jie Xian — in Hedong Commandery — 河東郡 — Hedong Jun. This is present-day Yuncheng — 運城 — in Shanxi province — 山西省 — Shanxi Sheng.
He was studious. He was interested in the ancient history book Zuozhuan — 左傳 — Commentary of Zuo. He could fluently recite lines from it.
He fled from his hometown for unknown reasons.
The Sanguozhi does not record why.
He went to Zhuo Commandery — 涿郡 — Zhuo Jun.
The Britannica account records a legend: a local magistrate was about to carry off a young girl. Guan Yu intervened. He killed the magistrate. He fled for his life. This is the legend. The Sanguozhi does not confirm this account.
When he arrived in Zhuo Commandery he met Liu Bei — 劉備.
Liu Bei was recruiting followers.
Guan Yu and Zhang Fei — 張飛 — elected to fight for him.
The Sanguozhi records: the Former Lord shared the same bed with the two and treated them with the kindness of a brother. At grand gatherings, however, they always stood in his service.
This is the historical brotherhood.
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On the Peach Garden Oath — 桃園三結義 — Tao Yuan San Jie Yi.
The Peach Garden Oath is one of the most famous scenes in Chinese literature.
Liu Bei — 劉備. Guan Yu — 關羽. Zhang Fei — 張飛. They swore brotherhood in a peach garden. They declared: though we were not born on the same day, we wish to die on the same day.
The Sanguozhi does not record this oath.
The Sanguozhi records only: they were as close as brothers. They slept in the same bed.
The oath is recorded only in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms — 三國演義.
It is labeled here as legend. Not as history.
It has been treated as history by the Chinese popular imagination for seven hundred years.
This is noted.
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On his service under Cao Cao — 曹操.
In 200 of the common era, Cao Cao captured Guan Yu.
He did not execute him.
He treated him with high honors.
He made him Lieutenant-General — 偏將軍 — pian jiangjun.
At the Battle of Boma — 白馬之戰 — Baima Zhi Zhan — Guan Yu charged directly into the enemy formation.
He killed Yan Liang — 顏良 — the great general of Yuan Shao — 袁紹 — before thousands of soldiers.
No one could stop him.
Cao Cao rewarded him.
But Guan Yu always intended to return to Liu Bei.
He returned.
Cao Cao, learning of his departure, did not pursue him.
Cao Cao admired his loyalty and sense of duty.
He allowed him to leave.
This is recorded in the Sanguozhi.
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On the operation on his arm.
The Sanguozhi records: during the Battle of Fancheng — 樊城之戰 — Fan Cheng Zhi Zhan — Guan Yu was struck by a poisoned arrow in the arm.
A physician — unnamed in the Sanguozhi — operated on the arm.
The physician cut open the flesh.
He scraped the bone to remove the poison.
The blood filled a waiting pan.
Guan Yu carved his roast.
He drank wine.
He relaxed in conversation and laughter.
He did not flinch.
The Romance of the Three Kingdoms names the physician as Hua Tuo — 華佗 — the famous doctor. The Sanguozhi does not. The physician remains unnamed in the historical record.
The feat of endurance is historical. The name of the physician is legend.
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On the flooding of Fan Castle.
The Battle of Fancheng — 樊城之戰 — is the battle that ended Guan Yu's life.
He besieged Fan Castle — 樊城 — Fan Cheng.
Cao Cao sent Yu Jin — 于禁 — with seven armies to reinforce it.
In autumn, great torrential rains fell.
The Han River — 漢水 — Han Shui — broke its banks.
Yu Jin's seven armies were drowned by the flood.
Yu Jin surrendered.
Guan Yu beheaded the general Pang De — 龐德 — who refused to surrender.
Guan Yu's prestige was felt throughout China.
Cao Cao considered relocating his capital to avoid him.
This is all recorded in the Sanguozhi.
The Romance adds that the flooding was Guan Yu's deliberate stratagem. The Sanguozhi records it as a natural occurrence. The flood was not his plan. The flood happened. He used it.
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On his death.
Sun Quan — 孫權 — sent an emissary to request marriage between his son and Guan Yu's daughter.
Guan Yu refused.
He insulted the emissary.
Sun Quan was angered.
He sent his general Lü Meng — 呂蒙 — to attack Guan Yu's territories from behind while Guan Yu was occupied at Fancheng.
The commanders Mi Fang — 麋芳 — and Fu Shiren — 傅士仁 — who were supposed to supply Guan Yu's army, defected to Sun Quan's forces.
Guan Yu's army was left vulnerable.
He retreated.
He was captured at Mai Castle — 麥城 — Mai Cheng.
He and his son Guan Ping — 關平 — were both executed.
The year was 219 or 220 of the common era.
He was approximately fifty-eight to sixty years old.
His head was sent to Cao Cao.
Cao Cao ordered it buried with full military honors.
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On the ghost.
After his death, his spirit appeared.
He appeared at Yuquan Mountain — 玉泉山 — Yuquan Shan — in Dangyang County — 當陽縣 — Dangyang Xian — in Hubei province — 湖北省 — Hubei Sheng.
He appeared to the Buddhist monk Zhiyi — 智顗 — the founder of the Tiantai school — 天台宗 — Tiantai Zong — of Chinese Buddhism.
He said: return my head.
Zhiyi asked: where are the heads of all the men you killed in battle?
Guan Yu was enlightened by this question.
He took refuge in the Three Jewels of Buddhism — 三寶 — San Bao — the Buddha, the Dharma, the Sangha.
He requested the Five Precepts — 五戒 — Wu Jie.
He vowed to become a guardian of temples and the Dharma — 護法 — hu fa.
He assisted Zhiyi in the construction of Yuquan Temple — 玉泉寺 — Yuquan Si.
The temple still stands today.
This account is recorded in Buddhist texts.
It is the source of his Buddhist identity as Sangharama Bodhisattva — 伽藍菩薩 — Qiela Pusa.
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On his deification.
He was not deified immediately after death.
Roughly one thousand years passed before his status became fully divine.
The Tang dynasty — 唐朝 — Tang Chao — honored him for his righteous loyalty — 義 — yi.
During the tenth century, when China was again divided into warring kingdoms, his cult grew.
Personal loyalty to a lord was the highest virtue.
He was the exemplar of that virtue.
The Song dynasty — 宋朝 — Song Chao — elevated him repeatedly.
The emperors wanted to propagate his obedience and respect for superiors.
In 1102 the Huizong Emperor — 徽宗 — Huizong — gave him his first imperial title: Chongning Zhenjun — 崇寧真君 — True Lord of Chongning.
The Ming dynasty — 明朝 — Ming Chao — elevated him to: Deity Guan — 關帝 — Guan Di.
The Wanli Emperor — 萬曆帝 — Wanli Di — of the Ming dynasty gave him the title: Three Realms Subduing Demon Great Emperor Sacred Ruler of Righteousness and Courage — 三界伏魔大帝神威遠鎮天尊關聖帝君.
By the end of the Qing dynasty — 清朝 — Qing Chao — his status equaled that of Confucius — 孔子 — Kongzi.
He was called Wu Sheng — 武聖 — the Martial Sage.
Confucius was called Wen Sheng — 文聖 — the Literary Sage.
One sage for the pen. One sage for the sword.
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On his appearance.
He is depicted with a red face — 紅臉 — hong lian.
In Chinese opera, a red face is the symbol of loyalty — 忠 — zhong — and righteousness — 義 — yi.
He did not have a red face in historical reality.
The red face comes from the opera tradition.
It was adopted into the temple statue tradition.
He has a very long beard — 長鬚 — chang xu — earning him the title Lord Magnificent Beard — 美髯公 — Mei Ran Gong.
He wears a green robe — 綠袍 — lü pao — over battle armor.
He carries the Green Dragon Crescent Blade — 青龍偃月刀 — Qinglong Yanyue Dao — a glaive-like weapon said to weigh 82 catties — 八十二斤 — ba shi er jin — approximately 49 kilograms.
He is attended by his adopted son Guan Ping — 關平 — and his squire Zhou Cang — 周倉.
He sometimes holds the Zuozhuan — 左傳 — the ancient history book he memorized.
When holding the Zuozhuan he functions as the god of literature — 文學之神 — wenxue zhi shen — shared with Wenchang Wang — 文昌王.
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On the halberd and the two sides.
The Green Dragon Crescent Blade — 青龍偃月刀 — is held differently depending on who is worshipping.
Statues in police stations hold the halberd in the right hand.
Statues used by triads hold the halberd in the left hand.
The right hand signifies the righteous side.
The left hand signifies the shadow side.
Both sides worship Guan Yu.
Both sides believe Guan Yu supports their loyalty to their brothers.
Both sides are correct.
He represents loyalty.
Loyalty is not always to the law.
Sometimes it is to the brother.
This is recorded without judgment.
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On his horse.
His horse is called Red Hare — 赤兔馬 — Chitu Ma.
Red Hare was considered the finest horse in all of China.
It was originally the horse of Lü Bu — 呂布 — the greatest warrior of the age.
After Lü Bu's death the horse passed to Cao Cao.
Cao Cao gave it to Guan Yu as a gift.
Guan Yu accepted it.
He said: now I can reach Liu Bei in a single day.
After Guan Yu's death, Red Hare refused to eat.
The horse starved to death.
It would not serve another master.
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On his weapon.
The Green Dragon Crescent Blade — 青龍偃月刀 — Qinglong Yanyue Dao.
Green Dragon — 青龍 — Qinglong — because the blade shimmers like dragonscale.
Crescent — 偃月 — yanyue — because the blade curves like a crescent moon.
It is classified as a Guan Dao — 關刀 — a type of Chinese pole weapon with a curved blade at one end.
The guan dao as a weapon type was named after him.
The word guan in guan dao means the Guan of Guan Yu.
He gave his name to the weapon.
It weighs 82 catties — 八十二斤 — ba shi er jin — in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
This weight appears only in the Romance. The Sanguozhi does not record the weight.
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On his domains.
He is the god of war — 戰神 — zhanshen.
He is the god of brotherhood — 義氣之神 — yiqi zhi shen.
He is the god of righteousness — 正義之神 — zhengyi zhi shen.
He is the god of fortune — 財神 — Caishen — in southern China and Southeast Asia.
He is the patron of soldiers — 士兵 — shibing.
He is the patron of police — 警察 — jingcha.
He is the patron of triads and secret societies — 秘密社會 — mimi shehui.
He is the patron of merchants and businessmen — 商人 — shangren.
He is the patron of tofu makers — 豆腐製造者 — doufu zhizaozhe — because legend says he sold tofu before becoming a soldier.
He is the patron of pawnbrokers — 當舖業者 — dangpu yezhe — because legend says he worked in this trade.
He is the god of literature — 文學之神 — wenxue zhi shen — because he memorized the Zuozhuan.
He is revered in Taoism — 道教 — Daojiao.
He is revered in Buddhism — 佛教 — Fojiao — as Sangharama Bodhisattva.
He is revered in Confucianism — 儒教 — Rujiao — as the Martial Sage.
He is revered in Chinese folk religion — 民間信仰 — minjian xinyang.
All four traditions claim him.
He belongs to all of them.
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On the temples.
There are tens of thousands of temples dedicated to Guan Yu across China and the Chinese diaspora.
The largest Guan Yu statue in the world stood in Jingzhou — 荊州 — Jingzhou — in Hubei province — 湖北省. It was 58 meters tall — 五十八米 — wu shi ba mi — and weighed 1,100 tonnes — 一千一百噸. It was removed in 2020 because local authorities determined it was too large and blocked the view.
Guan Yu was removed from Jingzhou once in life and once as a statue.
The Dongmyo Temple — 東廟 — in Seoul — 首爾 — South Korea — was built in 1601. It was built because the Korean people credited Guan Yu with protecting them from the Japanese invasion — 壬辰倭亂 — Imjin Waeran — of 1592.
The State Temple of the Martial God — 祀典武廟 — Si Dian Wu Miao — in Tainan — 台南 — Taiwan — was built in 1663. It is one of the most important Guan Yu temples in the world.
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On his birthday.
His birthday is the twenty-fourth day of the sixth lunar month — 六月二十四 — liu yue er shi si.
This is the same day as the birthday of Lei Gong — 雷公 — the Duke of Thunder.
On this day incense is burned at Guan Yu temples worldwide.
Theatrical performances — 戲曲 — xiqu — of his most famous battles are staged.
The Green Dragon Crescent Blade is paraded through the streets in some communities.
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On what he represents.
He represents Yi — 義 — righteousness. Loyalty to those you have sworn to protect.
Yi — 義 — is not loyalty to the state. It is not loyalty to the law.
It is loyalty to the oath. To the brother. To the sworn bond between people.
This is why police worship him. They have sworn an oath to protect.
This is why triads worship him. They have also sworn an oath to protect.
The oath is what matters.
Not who gave the oath or to whom.
The oath.
He is the god of people who keep their word.
In a world where words are cheap, this god is expensive.
He costs everything.
He died for his oath.
His horse died for him.
Red Hare would not eat.
Loyalty runs all the way down.
END OF CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO