How sacred is Guan Yu?

Guan Yu's temples are all over the country, and he is one of the Chinese immortals with the most temples. The ancient god of war was originally the "Lord of soldiers", that is, the god who invented many weapons. As far as official sacrifices are concerned, there were martial temples as early as the early Tang Dynasty, but Jiang Ziya, the prime minister who was good at fighting, was the main one, and Guan Yu was the deity. On weekdays, when going out, I will worship King Vishamun, who is in charge of the north among the four great kings of Buddhism, and draw the flag of King Vishamun to bless the victory of the war.

The belief in Guandi, which is prevalent in the Chinese world today, may have originated in the Song Dynasty and was completed in the Ming Dynasty. Guan Yu's belief has a long history, and it became more prosperous in the Song Dynasty. At the latest in the late Northern Song Dynasty, temples dedicated to Guan Yu had been "found in every county, county and town" (Hao Jing's Lingchuan Collection), and the Emperor of the Song Dynasty also made Guan Yu king. Although the imperial court of the Yuan Dynasty believed in Tibetan Buddhism, it did not restrain the people's faith, so the people's faith in Guan Yu increased, and the emperor of the Yuan Dynasty also sent envoys to sacrifice. There was no Wu Temple in the Ming Dynasty, but Zhu Yuanzhang, the great ancestor of the Ming Dynasty, listed "Guandi Temple in Hanshou Pavilion" as one of the ceremonies in Jinling, the capital city (Wanli Ming Festival, Volume 93). Later, the emperors of the Ming Dynasty continued to pursue Guan Yu, and Guan Yu gradually became the "most admired person" in the Ming Dynasty (Wanli Yebian). In the Ming Dynasty, Guan Yu was revered, and even asked the government of the vassal country of North Korea to build the "Wang Guan Temple" (A Record of King Xuanzu of North Korea). With the pursuit of Guan Yu as emperor in Ming Dynasty, Guan Yu's honorific title was gradually upgraded from "Wang Guan" to "Guandi", which has been passed down to this day.

Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, temples dedicated to Guan Yu have spread all over China and extended to Mongolia, Tibet, the Korean Peninsula and even overseas. Today, in old Beijing alone, there are more than 100 temples dedicated to Guan Gong or both.

Taoist beliefs in the south of China, including Guan, Guan and Zhong Kui, are the three gods to subdue demons. In addition, people think that Guan Dijun is the reincarnation of yi zhu, a god who specializes in literature. For example, the popular "Taoyuan Mingjing": "I (Guan Dijun) am the Zhu Yi God in Wei Zi Palace, in charge of Wu Wenchang Quxing." , is honored as one of the five Wenchang. Guan Yu is worshipped not only by Confucianism, but also by Taoism and Buddhism. So Guan Yu is the god of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism in China. But among them, Guan Yu of Confucianism more embodies the true colors of Guan Yu.

With the prominence of Guan Yu's position, Guan Yu was honored as the "King of Martial Arts" and "Saint of Martial Arts", juxtaposed with Confucius, and collectively called "Two Saints of Civil and Military Arts". It is precisely because Guan Yu is so prominent that not only soldiers and martial artists worship him as an industry god, but also unrelated industries such as commerce, tobacco, gold painting, incense sticks, education, fortune telling, etc., so they also believe in him as a "god of wealth"