How was the Guan Gong faith formed?

□ Lin Yi

"Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is a classic masterpiece, "Taoyuan Jieyi" is wonderful, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei are widely loved by posterity. However, there is a question, why did Guan Yu's posthumous status surpass that of Liu Bei and Zhang Fei, so lofty, and become a god? The Dutch sinologist Tian Hai, now a professor of sinology at the University of Hamburg in Germany, has a book called "Guan Yu: History and Imagination from All Gods", which analyzes the formation process of the "Guan Gong Faith" layer by layer.

Guan Yu: History and Imagination by All Who Entered the Gods, by Tian Hai (The Netherlands), translated by Wang Jian et al., Nova Press, February 2022 edition, 78.00 yuan.

Tian Hai believes that the Guan Gong faith began to be popular in the north from the late 10th century and the early 11th century, long before the Three Kingdoms story became the mainstream narrative tradition. We all think that it was the Romance of the Three Kingdoms that made Guan Yu's image deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, but the depiction of Guan Yu in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms was actually influenced by the early Beliefs of Guan Gong. Guan Yu was brave and brave, loyal and courageous, but in the end he died of death. The early popularity of the Guan Gong faith is related to the Buddhist concept of retribution, and Guan Yu is regarded as the Jia Lan god of Yuquan Temple. Guan Yu also has a special feature, that is, his birthplace, Shanxi Xiezhou is the place where salt merchants gather, these merchants are everywhere, safety and security, and Guan Yu's courage, strength and loyalty are admired, the same place of origin is a natural cohesion, so the salt merchants regard Guan Yu as a protective god, the northern Guan Gong faith with Yuquan Temple and Xiezhou as the center, gradually spreading. Later, our native religion, Taoism, also honored Guan Yu, and the Guan Gong faith further spread.

Tian Hai believes that the cult of Guan Gong flourished in the folk, so the focus of his research was on oral traditions and a large amount of evidence from oral culture to textual materials. Tian Hai said: "This book is not only a study of the Guan Gong faith itself, but also a study of how oral culture can maintain its great influence in a world where writing is becoming more and more important." The book is informative and involves a large number of oral Chinese narratives, dramatic performances and religious scriptures, as well as a number of individual anecdotes, in which the cult of Guan Gong plays an important role. "The first task of historians is to restore these stories in order to further understand the local identities constructed in the common historical context." Tian Hai said.

As far as the research theme identified by Tian Hai is concerned, this writing task is quite good. Later in the book, Tian Hai explains how Guan Yu became a god of the theater industry, a god of rain, and a god of wealth, and continues to describe the various miracles of Guan Yu's shelter for his people, and the process of Guan Gong's belief spreading from the north to the south and finally becoming a true national faith. The trajectory of the combing is clear and organized, and the material is sufficient. Tian Hai stressed that the commercial activities accompanying the spread of the Guan Gong faith are a key factor. In addition, Tian Hai noticed that in the process of the circulation of the Guan Gong faith, the promoting role of the southern scholars, the narrative texts of these intellectuals, made the warrior Guan Yu a Confucian general who was familiar with the Spring and Autumn Period, and further created the myth of Guan Yu.

The two key points that Tian Hai grasped are precise and clear, revealing that the Guan Gong faith is deeply rooted in our national nature. Guan Yu's character, temperament and moral concepts are in line with tradition and are recognized by most people, and the spread of Guan Gong worship is easy to promote in the folk. However, the book also has omissions. For example, without talking about the prevalence of Guan Gong worship in overseas Chinese circles, that is to say, Tian Hai still does not have enough understanding of the core and cohesion of the values implied by Guan Gong worship, and he pays more attention to the process of the formation of the concept of faith itself. Another point, and more importantly, the cult of Guan Gong initially arose in the folk, but the reason why it was so large-scale had a lot to do with the attitude of the imperial court was not mentioned at all, and it should not be mentioned at all.

The early Guan Gong faith was still dotted in the folk, and the real prosperity was during the Southern Song Dynasty. Why at this time?

The Southern Song Dynasty was in a quiet corner and had a relationship with the Shu Han Dynasty. After the Yuan Ming Dynasty, the Han Dynasty was in danger, and the monarch longed for loyal subjects. Guan Yu was chosen as the "Son of Destiny". It is a matter of "Han orthodoxy" debate. Chen Shou took Cao Wei as orthodox, the Eastern Jin Dynasty Xi Chiseled Teeth as Orthodox in the Spring and Autumn of the Han Dynasty, Sima Guang of the Northern Song Dynasty took Wei as orthodoxy in the Zizhi Tongjian, and Zhu Xi and others in the Southern Song Dynasty strongly advocated the orthodoxy of shu And Han. The most obvious feature of Mao Zonggang's "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is that it further strengthens the concept of "supporting Liu and opposing Cao", and has made artificial modifications from the setting of the plot, the use of historical materials, the shaping of characters, and even individual words and sentences, especially favoring Guan Yu, that is, to highlight "loyalty and righteousness". Luo Guanzhong said that the Three Kingdoms, with a clear banner, supported Liu and anti-Cao, were popular to this day.

Guan Yu's image was favored by the rulers. During the Ming Dynasty, many state sacrifices were held, and the Wanli Emperor gave Guan Yu the title of "Three Realms Voldemort Emperor Shenweiyuan Zhen Tianzun Guan Sheng emperor", a title with distinct Taoist colors. It is said that the Manchu Qing Dynasty was able to use the military because of his familiar reading of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. There is a Qing generation, and it is extremely important to be polite. The Qianlong Emperor ordered the falsification of the history books in order to publicize Guan Yu. Guan Yu's title was originally "Marquis of Zhuangmiao", "Miao" was not an elegant title, but in fact it criticized Guan Yu for losing Jingzhou, but the "Four Libraries Quanshu" changed the record of the "Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms and Guan Yu" to "Marquis of Zhongyi". The indoctrination of the state, the upward and downward effects, the driving force is very strong.

In the folk, due to the rise of Jin merchants in the Ming and Qing dynasties, the symbol symbol of Guan Yu's "god of wealth" was more distinct. When jin merchants invited the statue of Guan Yu into their own shop, they not only accepted the protection of Emperor Guan, but also showed the public that they were adhering to the spirit of loyalty and integrity of this Shanxi fellow. Volume XVIII of the "Examination of the Continued Literature of the Qing Dynasty" states: "The giant merchant on the right side of the mountain, the number of the ticket he has set, the law is precise, the person is particularly simple, and the credit is the most written." Jinshang gradually declined, and the "concept of righteousness and profit" advocated by it continued to circulate. Wherever Chinese businessmen go, they can weave a "righteous" network of relationships, and overseas Chinese associations set up Guan Ye incense, and its significance is to promote the enhancement of unity and friendship between people. In the modern environment, the Guan Gong faith has gained new opportunities for development.