Teochew people have always been known for being good at business, this is because the Chaozhou area is narrow and densely populated, there is a serious contradiction between population and resources, a result of last resort, many Teochew people will choose to go overseas to make a living for their livelihood, generation after generation, it has formed a custom.
Sailing and doing business on the sea is a very adventurous act, and sometimes even needs to bear the risk of life and property, so many peoples who take navigation and business as their main business in ancient and modern China and abroad will have their own beliefs, such as the ancient Greeks and Poseidon.
Then the Teochew people naturally also have their own "beliefs", that is, "worship the prince", so that the prince can bless himself to go to sea to do business without mistake. So which way is the "wang ye" that teochew people like to worship?
Image: Screenshot of Teochew people worshiping "Wang Ye" information
First, the cultural origin of the Teochew people "worshiping the prince"
1. Diversified cultural needs
The custom of teochew people "worshiping the prince" has a long history, from the perspective of the common people, the so-called "wangye" is naturally a general term for the direct relatives of the royal family in the ancient dynasty, and even the status in society is second only to the supreme emperor.
However, in the ancient coastal area, the "princes" of the people's faith had a completely different image and meaning, they belonged to the gods who protected the people on earth, could drive away evil and avoid disasters, and were the embodiment of justice and justice.
The "Wang ye" believed by the Teochew people belongs to a kind of "polytheistic belief", that is to say, it is not similar to a god or a specific god of Buddha, in different periods, between different regions, the names of the princes are also very complicated, and the common people usually believe in different princes according to different needs, which reflects the diversity of culture in the Chaozhou region.
Image: Screenshot of the "Wang Ye" profile that Teochew people believe in
2. The mutual integration of different cultures
Chaozhou culture in the Wang Ye, is a kind of Central Plains farming culture and coastal areas of the marine culture after the fusion of the results, from the map, Chaozhou is located in China's South China Sea border, ancient times belonged to the hometown of the ancient Yue people, from the Central Plains hinterland is relatively far away, traffic is blocked, culture is more backward, resources are not rich, so the local people are very trapped.
Many of the indigenous people who live here have long been in the stage of obscurity, living a life of relying on the sky to eat, so they will also put their thoughts and fate on the protection of the gods. Qin Shi Huang conquered Lingnan and placed the Chaozhou region under the rule of the Central Dynasty, which allowed the Central Plains culture to move south.
In the chaotic era of the history of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, and a large number of Central Plains people have moved south to the region, which has also allowed Chaozhou to continue to develop. In addition to the integration of production technology, cultural gods have also been recreated, and in this way, the Central Plains culture and Lingnan culture have been intertwined unprecedentedly, forming a unique cultural phenomenon with the worship of the original gods of the Central Plains Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism and Ancient Yue.
Photo: Stills of the life of the Central Plains people who moved south to Chaozhou
Second, the type of "Wang Ye"
1. Buddhas and gods in Taoism
In the beliefs of the Teochew people, the first type of gods originate from Buddhism and Taoism, which are closely related to the culture of the Central Plains, such as the first and fifteenth days of the first lunar month of the Teochew people every year, and the worshipper is the supreme Jade Emperor, because according to legend, the ninth day of the first lunar month of each year is the birthday of the Jade Emperor, so if the Teochew people are ready to travel, they will burn incense and prostrate to the Jade Emperor during this time and bring sacrifices.
The attitude of the Teochew people towards this prince is very pious, because in their view, this is one of the greatest masters between heaven and earth, and it is also the first prince who needs to be worshipped at the beginning of the year, not only in Chaozhou, but also in Fujian, Taiwan, Sichuan and other places in China.
Then there is this kind of more typical prince is taiyin niang, Chaozhou people will go to worship on August 15 every year, in the Central Plains culture, August 15 Mid-Autumn Festival is the legend of Chang'e running to the moon day, in the teochew people's view, the moon should be worshiped at this time, the so-called Taiyin Niang, that is, "lunar god" meaning.
So what kind of people would worship this prince primarily? Mainly the girls to be married, they hope that the moon god can give themselves a good husband and wife, so that they can live a happy and happy life, and there are students, they hope to be able to get the protection of the moon god, in the future to be able to succeed in their studies.
Image: Screenshot of the information of the worshiping Lady Taiyin
2. Celebrities in the Central Plains culture
In addition to the great gods derived from Buddhism and Taoism, the second type of prince that Teochew people like to worship is a historical celebrity or hero, such as the famous "King of the Three Mountains" is one of the representatives, perhaps for many northern friends, the reputation of this god is not loud, in fact, this is a local teochew god.
In Jieyang City, there are three very famous mountains, called Dushan, Mingshan and Jianshan, and the guardian deity of these three mountains is the "King of the Three Mountains", who does not belong to Taoism, let alone Buddhism, in Chaozhou culture, he was originally the god of war who assisted Tang Taizong and Song Taizong in their careers, and later has been protecting every inch of Chaozhou.
If you have the opportunity to walk around Chaozhou, you will find that in the large and small mountain land, there will be a variety of temples dedicated to the king of the three mountains, according to incomplete statistics, only in eastern Guangdong, there are more than 200 temples of this prince, which shows how high the degree of recognition of The Chaozhou people is.
In addition, Guan Gong is also one of the princes of Chaozhou people who are keen to worship, in local culture, he is not only a hero who is loyal and righteous, but also a god of wealth, and the day of worship is generally on the 24th of June in the lunar calendar, which is the birthday of Guan Gong, which is generally recognized by everyone. Most of the Teochew people who worship Guan Gong are businessmen, and they hope to make their business more prosperous in this way.
Image: Screenshot of Bai Guan Gong's profile
3. Primitive worship of antiquity
The third type of prince that Teochew people often worship belongs to the category of primitive worship in ancient times, and the representative of which is Mazu, in the eyes of the locals, Mazu is regarded as the "Lady of the Sea God", one of the indigenous gods, and one of the most important folk gods in the southeast coastal area of China.
When the ancient Chaozhou people are preparing to go to sea, they must go to worship Mazu before leaving, and the whole process will be solemn and grand. Teochew people believe that after worshipping Mazu, whether they stay overseas for a month or several years, they will be protected by the sea god, everything will go smoothly, and most importantly, they can eventually return to their hometown safely and reunite with their wives and children.
Image: Screenshot of Bai Mazu's profile
In summary, no matter which type of Wang Ye is, it is an expectation and yearning for a better life of the ancient Chaozhou people, and it is a kind of spiritual sustenance.
Article author: Dahui
The entire graphic was produced by the team of the Big Cafe Say History Studio!