Shandong Canal Folk Customs

Author: Gao Jianjun / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features: Guan Sheng, also known as Guan Yu, was one of the Five Tiger Generals under Liu Bei of the Shu Kingdom during the Three Kingdoms period. Throughout history, feudal emperors have bestowed titles upon Guan Yu for political reasons. Initially, during the Sui Dynasty, King Jin of Sui, Yang Guang, honored him as the "Guardian Law God of the Temple." By the time of the Shunzhi Emperor in the Qing Dynasty, Guan Yu's title had reached an astonishing 26 characters: "Zhongyi Shenshu Lingyou Renyong Weixian Huguo Baomin Jingcheng Suiling Yizan Xuande Guan Sheng Dadi." In folklore, merchants regard Guan Yu as the "Martial" (Martial God of Wealth); the common people worship him as the "Martial Sage," "Guan Laoye," "Guan Gong," or the "All-Powerful God." Numerous temples dedicated to Guan Yu, of varying sizes, are scattered across towns along the Yellow River, such as Shangliang Kaihe, where a town alone has four or five Guan Yu temples. Some villages even change their names due to the presence of famous Guan Yu temples. For example, Guan Yu Temple Village in Houlou Township, Weishan County, was originally called Xizhaozhuang but was renamed after the Guan Yu temple built to the south of the village during the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty. The foreign guild halls in towns along the Yellow River, such as the Shanxi Guild Hall in Tai'erzhuang, the Shanxi Guild Hall in Weishan, the Zhejiang Guild Hall in Jining, the Shanxi Guild Hall in Jinshan Jinkou, the Shanxi Guild Hall in Jinshan Anshan, the Shanxi Guild Hall in Zhangqiu, and the Shanxi Guild Hall in Dongxinzhuang, Linqing Weiwan Township, mostly feature Guan Yu halls or Spring and Autumn halls, except for the people of Xiangxi who do not worship Guan Yu. In towns and cities, most Guan Yu temples host temple fairs. For instance, the Guan Yu Temple in Nanyang Town, Weishan, built on the northern bank of the Yellow River and covering about 1,500 square meters, holds a lively temple fair on the 13th day of the fifth lunar month each year. The fair invites opera troupes to perform large-scale dramas in the temple's theater to show reverence. The Guan Yu statue in the temple is sculpted based on Guan Yu's depiction in Romance of the Three Kingdoms: with a ruddy face, painted lips, flowing moustache, phoenix eyes, and dragon-veined brows, exuding dignity and majesty. However, the appearances of Guan Yu statues in different temples vary—some hold ceremonial tablets and sit in robes; others wear battle armor, revealing luxurious armor; and some hold the Spring and Autumn Annals and sit slumped in contemplation.
In Liaocheng, there are over a hundred temples dedicated solely to Guan Sheng scattered across the streets and alleys. The largest is the Shanxi and Shan Province Guild Hall, also known as the "Guan Yu Temple," which boasts ninety-nine rooms and eighty-one halls, majestic and resplendent in gold and jade. The guild hall, spanning 77 meters in depth, consists of five buildings arranged in sequence, dividing it into four courtyards. The second courtyard, which includes the Guan Yu offering hall and theater, measures over 30 meters in depth, accounting for nearly three-fifths of the total length. The offering hall is one of the most important structures in the guild hall. The "Guan Sheng Dijun" statue of Guan Yu, adorned with a crown and dragon robes, sits regally on an inverted lotus throne. To his left stands Zhou Cang, a stern warrior holding a sword, while to his right is Guan Ping, holding a divine seal. The offering hall is filled with incense smoke throughout the day, with devout followers coming and going. On the western city wall and at the city base, there are also two imposing Guan Yu temples. The temple at the foot of the city faces east, with its main hall oriented south, housing a bronze statue of Guan Yu over 1.9 meters tall. Below the altar, there are spiritual lots and medical talismans. In the right wing, there is a statue of Red Horse, taller than a real horse, with a groom holding the reins nearby.
Medium-sized Guan Yu temples include the "Three Virtues Palace" outside the eastern city gate and the "Red Emperor at Dayang" on the western bank of the Dongguan River and the southern end of Qingxiao Street. Although Liu Xuande is enshrined as the main deity, the people still revere Guan Yu above all. Smaller Guan Yu temples can be found across the ancient Yellow River from the Shanxi and Shan Province Guild Hall. This temple is just a tiny room with no gate or walls, surrounded by trees and wilderness. Due to lack of care, the incense is sparse, the walls are cracked, and the statue is dilapidated. The villagers from nearby villages only sweep away the dust and burn incense during the New Year. Yet, the temple's New Year couplets are replaced every year, with the same words: "East and west of the river, two Guan Yues—one poor, one rich; north and south of the, two wells—one bitter, one sweet." The couplet reflects the reality so perfectly that it is considered an absolute.
There are two other small Guan Yu temples with interesting origins. One is the Guan Ye Temple built against the eastern city wall on North Shuncheng Street. Initially, it was a small brick hut housing a tiny Guan Ye spirit tablet, with rare incense offerings except during festivals when nearby families would burn incense and offer "panxi" (water dumplings). One year, during a severe drought, children from North Shuncheng Street imitated rural rituals to pray for rain, moving small stools to the temple entrance as altars, gathering locust flowers as offerings, and weaving willow branches into rings to wear on their heads. Their prayers moved Guan Ye, who immediately brought rain. At that moment, a Jiangnan sorcerer was holding a divining board, and the writing on it said: "I shall visit Dongchang to taste the children's locust flower banquet and bring sweet rain, out of pity for their innocent sincerity." Later, the sorcerer came to investigate the matter. The children's locust flower offerings led to the small hut being rebuilt into a temple with a main hall, a covered porch, and a statue of Guan Yu, named the "Locust Flower Temple."
The other small Guan Sheng Temple is located at the entrance of a lane south of Dongguan's grain market street. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Dongchang Prefecture produced many martial scholars and candidates, including one martial champion. During prefectural exams, martial students from various counties often quarreled over training space. Martial scholars from Yanggu traveling to Dongchang for exams funded the purchase of this land for lodging and practice, later building this small temple to worship Guan Yu, hence its popular name, the "Yanggu Temple." Unlike other Guan Yu temples, which usually feature Guan Yu, Zhou Cang, and Guan Ping, the Yanggu Temple also enshrines two officials, Wang Fu and Zhao Lei, who died heroically alongside Guan Yu while defending Mai City and refusing to surrender. The Yanggu Temple faces north and is built on a high platform, making it inaccessible. Martial students can only burn incense and worship from below, gazing up at the statues.
Temples dedicated to other deities often include Guan Gong as well. In Taoist temples, there are Guan Yu halls, such as the Guan Yu Hall in the Jade Emperor Pavilion. Buddhist temples also have Guan Yu halls, like the Guan Yu Hall in Jingye Zen Forest. Some temples even enshrine Guan Gong as the main deity, such as the "Upper Guan, Lower Wealth" altar in local land temples. Gongren Hall, a public rest and dining establishment in the southwestern corner of Liaocheng's city center, also has a Guan Yu statue in its main hall. In private homes, portraits of Guan Yu are almost always hung. There is a couplet praising Guan Gong: "Han enshrined him as a marquis, Song as a king, Ming as a great emperor; Confucians call him a sage, Buddhists a Buddha, and Taoists a celestial sovereign." The phenomenon described above embodies the meaning of the lower line of this couplet.
Worship of Guan Sheng typically occurs on the Spring Festival, the second day of the second lunar month, and the 13th day of the fifth lunar month. During these times, male and female devotees enter the temple, light incense, and pray, making wishes or seeking guidance from the lots. In the offering hall of the Shanxi and Shan Province Guild Hall, towering bronze incense burners and candlesticks are arranged in five rows before Guan Yu's altar. The giant candles burn day and night from the Lantern Festival to the Lantern Rite. Later, a green dragon crescent sword is erected, with a finely crafted steel sword slung diagonally from its handle. On the 13th day of the fifth lunar month, the day Guan Yu crossed the river to attend the meeting alone, the sword and the sword are polished by and large-scale dramas are performed for three days. The second day of the second lunar month is often dedicated to praying for rain.
P280-282