A RECORD OF ALL THINGS UNDER HEAVEN
As gathered from the oldest accounts that remain
PROLOGUE — CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
On the Matter of Zhong Kui — 鍾馗 — the Demon Queller
His name is Zhong Kui — 鍾馗.
Zhong — 鍾 — means bell. Also a surname.
Kui — 馗 — means crossroads. A place where paths converge and diverge.
Together — 鍾馗 — the name carries the resonance of a bell at a crossroads. The sound that echoes between worlds.
His full Taoist title is: Divine Thundering Exorcist and Slayer of Demons, King of Bringing Luck and Prosperity — 翊聖雷霆驅魔辟邪鎮宅賜福帝君 — Yi Sheng Lei Ting Qu Mo Pi Xie Zhen Zhai Ci Fu Di Jun.
He is also called Sage Lord Who Bestows Fortune and Guards the Household — 賜福鎮宅聖君 — Ci Fu Zhen Zhai Sheng Jun.
He is also called the Demon Queller — 驅魔真君 — Qu Mo Zhen Jun.
He is also called the Ghost King — 鬼王 — Gui Wang.
He commands eighty thousand demons — 八萬鬼兵 — ba wan gui bing — to do his bidding.
He wanders between hell — 地獄 — diyu — and earth — 人間 — renjian.
He is not a conventional god.
He was classified in Song and Yuan dynasty texts as a ghost — 鬼 — gui.
More specifically a big ghost — 大鬼 — da gui — or a ghost hero — 鬼雄 — gui xiong.
His popularity made him a god in popular imagination.
He was not declared a god through official state process.
He declared himself through a dream.
---
On the note regarding his origin.
The consensus among scholars is that Zhong Kui is not a real documented individual from history but rather a legendary figure whose story evolved over time.
The earliest written record of his legend appeared in the Northern Song dynasty — 宋朝 — Song Chao — 960 to 1127 of the common era.
This is centuries after the Tang dynasty — 唐朝 — Tang Chao — where his story is set.
The Song dynasty scholar Shen Kuo — 沈括 — recorded the tale of Emperor Xuanzong's dream in his Supplementary Notes to Dream Pool Essays — 夢溪筆談補 — Mengxi Bitan Bu.
This is the earliest surviving written record.
There are no imperial records or biographies of an official named Zhong Kui performing supernatural feats.
His story was passed down as folk legend and oral tradition before Shen Kuo recorded it.
This is recorded here honestly.
---
On the pre-Tang roots.
Before the Tang dynasty the term zhong kui — 終葵 — written with different characters — referred to a large peachwood club — 大桃木棒 — da taomubang — used to drive away evil spirits.
This club was used in the Nuo — 儺 — ritual — the ancient Chinese exorcism ceremony.
Nuo — 儺 — was performed during the new year to drive disease and evil out of the community.
The leader of the Nuo ritual wore a mask and carried this club.
Over time the term for the club became associated with the spirit of the exorcist.
The spirit of the exorcist became a person.
The person became Zhong Kui.
This is the pre-Tang layer of his origin.
---
On the canonical story. Emperor Xuanzong's dream.
The story is preserved in the Tang Yishi — 唐逸史 — Unofficial History of the Tang Dynasty — and recorded by Shen Kuo in the Song dynasty.
Emperor Xuanzong — 唐玄宗 — Tang Xuanzong — reigned from 712 to 756 of the common era.
He returned to the palace after supervising military exercises at Mount Li — 驪山 — Li Shan.
He fell ill.
He remained bedridden for more than a month.
No physician could cure him.
One night in the grip of fever he dreamed.
In the dream he saw two ghosts in the great hall of the palace.
The first ghost was small.
It wore red trousers — 紅褲子 — hong kuzi.
One foot wore a shoe. The other shoe hung from its belt.
It carried a bamboo fan — 竹扇 — zhu shan.
It called itself Xuhao — 虛耗 — meaning Void Drainer. Wasteful Expenditure. The ghost that consumes blessings for nothing.
It stole Consort Yang Guifei's — 楊貴妃 — purple sachet — 紫香囊 — zi xiangnang.
It stole the emperor's jade flute — 玉笛 — yu di.
It raced about the hall.
Then a second ghost appeared.
This ghost was enormous.
He had dishevelled hair — 蓬髮 — peng fa.
He had a bristling beard — 虯髯 — qiu ran.
He wore a blue robe — 藍袍 — lan pao — tattered and worn.
His cap was battered — 破帽 — po mao.
One sleeve was stripped from his robe.
Both legs were bound in hide — 皮革 — pige.
He seized the small ghost with one hand.
He gouged out its eyes with his fingers.
He swallowed the eyes.
He devoured the ghost entirely.
The emperor asked him: who are you?
The large ghost bowed.
He said: Your Majesty, my humble name is Zhong Kui. I was a scholar from Zhongnan Mountain — 終南山 — Zhongnan Shan. I presented myself at the imperial examinations. I failed to receive my title. In shame and indignation I smashed my head against the steps of the palace — 觸階而死 — chu jie er si — and died. After my death I vowed to eliminate all demons and evil spirits from the mortal world for Your Majesty.
The emperor woke up.
His illness was cured.
The fever was gone.
His body was restored.
He summoned the court painter Wu Daozi — 吳道子 — who was known as the Painting Saint — 畫聖 — Hua Sheng — the greatest painter of the age.
He described the dream in detail.
Wu Daozi painted.
When the painting was presented the emperor exclaimed: it is as if you and I shared the same dream.
The emperor wept.
He ordered the painting to be distributed throughout the empire.
He ordered that portraits of Zhong Kui be hung in homes everywhere to protect against evil.
He gave portraits to court officials as New Year gifts.
Official Tang dynasty court documents confirm this practice.
This imperial endorsement transformed Zhong Kui from a local legend into a nationally recognized protective deity.
The tradition has endured for over one thousand three hundred years.
---
On the version with Du Ping — 杜平.
A later version of the story provides more detail about Zhong Kui's life before his death.
In this version Zhong Kui was a scholar with a kind heart and great academic talent.
His appearance was ghastly and dishevelled.
He travelled with his best friend Du Ping — 杜平 — to attend the imperial examinations in Chang'an — 長安 — the Tang capital.
He sat for the examinations.
He scored the highest marks in his cohort.
He was declared the Zhuangyuan — 狀元 — the Top Scholar.
He presented himself to the emperor to receive his title.
The emperor saw his face.
He refused to confer the title.
He refused because Zhong Kui's physical appearance was considered inauspicious.
The highest scorer was denied his award because of how he looked.
Zhong Kui was overcome with shame and indignation.
He smashed his head against the palace steps.
He died on the steps of the palace where he should have received his honor.
The emperor was struck with guilt.
He ordered Zhong Kui to be buried with the full honors of a Top Scholar.
He was buried in the imperial tombs.
Later the emperor dreamed of Zhong Kui appearing to drive away a demon.
He gave him the title: Demon Queller — 驅魔真君.
The reformed one-shoed demon became one of Zhong Kui's servants.
The academic Yamayuandadu notes: by the Ming period the denial of his title was attributed to prejudice against his physical appearance. This detail was not present in the earliest accounts. It was added later. It may have been based in part on real experiences of officials of unusual appearance who faced discrimination at court.
This is recorded here honestly.
---
On his appearance.
He is depicted as a large man — 大個子 — da gezi.
He has bulging eyes — 眼睛突出 — yanjing tuchu.
He has a big black beard — 大黑鬍鬚 — da hei huxu — sometimes described as curly and bristling.
His face is dark — 黑臉 — hei lian.
He has a hooked nose — 鷹鉤鼻 — ying gou bi.
He has bell-shaped ears — 鐘形耳 — zhong xing er.
He wears official robes — 官服 — guanfu — most often red — 紅色 — hong se — in later depictions.
He wears a black gauze cap — 黑紗帽 — hei sha mao — the cap of a Tang dynasty official.
He wears black boots — 黑靴 — hei xue.
He wields a sword — 劍 — jian — for vanquishing demons.
The original Wu Daozi depiction: dense sideburns. Blue shirt. One foot in leather boots. One eye closed. A court tablet at his waist. Dishevelled hair. Grabbing a small ghost with his left hand while his right index finger gouged out the ghost's eyes.
This original Wu Daozi portrait has been lost.
It is known only through later copies and descriptions.
---
On the five bats.
He is often depicted surrounded by five bats — 五蝠 — wu fu.
The Chinese word for bat is Fu — 蝠 — fu.
The Chinese word for good fortune is also Fu — 福 — fu.
The two words sound identical.
Five bats surrounding Zhong Kui therefore represent the five blessings — 五福 — wu fu:
Longevity — 壽 — shou.
Wealth — 富 — fu.
Health — 康寧 — kangning.
Virtue — 修好德 — xiu hao de.
A natural death — 考終命 — kao zhong ming.
A demon queller surrounded by symbols of blessing is not a contradiction.
He removes what harms.
He attracts what blesses.
Both functions belong to one figure.
---
On the one-shoed demon.
The small ghost Xuhao — 虛耗 — wore one shoe and hung the other from its belt.
The missing shoe represents disorder — 無序 — wu xu — and chaos — 混亂 — huntuan.
The disruption of proper attire represents a disruption in the cosmic order.
Zhong Kui captured it.
It became his servant.
The reformed demon now works for the god who defeated it.
This pattern repeats across Chinese mythology.
Defeated enemies become servants.
The demon that disrupts order becomes a tool of order.
---
On the sword.
His sword is called the Demon-Slaying Sword — 斬妖劍 — Zhan Yao Jian.
It is used specifically against evil spirits.
It is not used against humans.
He is not a god of war.
He is a god of exorcism.
His violence is always directed at what should not exist in the human world.
---
On the eighty thousand demon army.
He commands eighty thousand demons — 八萬鬼兵 — ba wan gui bing.
The demons he has defeated and subdued over time serve under him.
Each demon he captures becomes a soldier in his army.
His army grows every time he wins.
He has been winning for over a thousand years.
The army is very large now.
---
On his sister.
He has a younger sister — 妹妹 — meimei.
Her name is not consistently recorded across the texts.
In the painting Zhongshan Going on Excursion — 中山出遊 — Zhongshan Chu You — by the Yuan dynasty painter Gong Kai — 龔開 — Zhong Kui is depicted traveling with his sister and various demons.
She is being carried in a sedan chair — 轎子 — jiaozi — borne by demons.
She is being escorted by her brother in a procession.
This painting is one of the most famous depictions of Zhong Kui in Chinese art.
His friend Du Ping appears in later versions of the story.
In those versions Zhong Kui arranges for his sister to marry Du Ping after his death.
He attends the wedding banquet as a ghost.
He brings his demon army as wedding guests.
This story became one of the most popular subjects in Chinese opera — 戲曲 — xiqu.
It is called Zhong Kui Jia Mei — 鍾馗嫁妹 — Zhong Kui Marries Off His Sister.
It is performed to this day.
---
On the Ming dynasty playwright's observation.
The Ming dynasty playwright Zhu Youdun — 朱有燉 — wrote a play called Fu Lu Shou Xianguan Qinghui — 福祿壽仙官慶會 — The Immortal Officials of Happiness, Wealth and Longevity Gather in Celebration.
In this play Zhong Kui remarks: he has no dedicated festival. He has no regular offerings. He has no grand temple of his own.
Yet humanity's faith in his picture alone gives him the strength to keep battling demons.
He is the god who requires no temple.
He requires only his image hung on a door.
The image is the altar.
The door is the temple.
---
On the Nuo ceremony — 儺 — and the Zhong Kui dance.
The Nuo ceremony — 儺 — is the ancient Chinese exorcism ritual.
It is performed to drive disease and evil out of communities.
Zhong Kui dance — 鍾馗舞 — Zhong Kui Wu — originated from the Nuo dance tradition.
During the Tang dynasty, folk Nuo activities evolved into a practice called beating night foxes — 打夜狐 — da ye hu.
Beggars dressed as Zhong Kui and small ghosts.
They collected money along the streets.
This practice eventually developed into the formal Zhong Kui dance in the Jiangnan — 江南 — region.
In the Huizhou — 徽州 — region during the Dragon Boat Festival — 端午節 — Duanwu Jie — performers spray flames while dancing to the rhythm of gongs and drums to drive away the five ghosts — 五鬼 — wu gui.
In Taiwan a ritual called Dancing Zhong Kui — 跳鍾馗 — Tiao Zhong Kui — is performed by a shaman who dresses as Zhong Kui.
The shaman carries a sword and exorcism tools.
He performs fire-breathing — 噴火 — pen huo.
He performs sword-swallowing — 吞劍 — tun jian.
Both acts are believed to repel demons.
---
On when his image is displayed.
His image is displayed at Chinese New Year — 農曆新年 — Nong Li Xin Nian — to prevent bad luck from entering the household in the coming year.
His image is displayed before the Dragon Boat Festival — 端午節 — Duanwu Jie — on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month — 五月初五 — wu yue chu wu — when pernicious influences are said to abound.
His image is displayed when a business opens.
His image is displayed when a family moves into a new home.
His image is displayed wherever evil is feared.
He has no dedicated festival of his own.
He is present at every occasion that requires protection from evil.
He is the emergency response.
He is the god people reach for when other gods are not enough.
---
On his spread to Japan.
During the Tang dynasty Zhong Kui crossed to Japan through cultural exchange.
By the late Heian period — 平安時代後期 — Heian Jidai Koki — exorcism paintings featuring Zhong Kui had already appeared in Japan.
Japanese customs include hanging Zhong Kui flags during the Dragon Boat Festival.
Japanese people worship Zhong Kui during epidemics.
In Japanese folk belief, smallpox and measles are caused by disease gods.
Zhong Kui drives away these epidemic spirits.
In 2013 a shrine dedicated to Zhong Kui was established within Wakamiya Hachiman Shrine — 若宮八幡宮 — in Kyoto's Higashiyama District — 東山區 — Higashiyama Ku.
In Matsuyama City — 松山市 — Matsuyama Shi — Ehime prefecture — 愛媛縣 — Ehime Ken — there is a Zhong Kui Temple that holds annual Zhong Kui festivals on the eleventh and twelfth of July.
This is considered one of Matsuyama's three major summer festivals.
---
On what he represents.
He represents justice denied — 被拒絕的正義 — bei jujue de zhengyi.
He represents the power of the wronged to become the protector.
He was rejected by the system.
He was denied what he earned.
He died for it.
He came back as the thing the system needed most.
The man who failed the examination because of his face became the god who judges not by face but by what a being truly is.
He sees through disguise.
He sees through politeness.
He sees what ghosts are.
He eats them.
In a Ming dynasty play he remarks: he has no temple. No festival. No regular offerings.
Only his image on a door.
It is enough.
He does not need the system that rejected him.
The system needs him.
END OF CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR