Guan Yu, a fierce general during the Three Kingdoms period, has undergone a long and complex historical evolution from galloping on the battlefield to becoming a widely revered god of wealth.
During the Three Kingdoms period, Guan Yu was known for his bravery, fearlessness, and loyalty. He followed Liu Bei to fight in the south and the north, and made great achievements. However, at this time, Guan Yu mainly existed in people's cognition as a military general, and had nothing to do with the role of the God of Wealth.
Over time, by the Sui and Tang dynasties, Buddhism gradually flourished in China. Because of his heroic and upright image, Guan Yu was absorbed by Buddhism as a protector god, which was the beginning of Guan Yu's deification. But at this time, his divinity was more of a religious protector than a matter of wealth.
Early stage (Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties - before the middle Tang Dynasty):
After Guan Yu was killed in Jingzhou, the people of Jingzhou spontaneously built a temple for him and sacrificed to him, mainly out of nostalgia for this hero and admiration for his strength and ability during his lifetime, at this time he was more regarded as the patron saint of the place.
During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, Guan Yu's image was basically based on his own experience and image, and there was no excessive deification and smearing.
In the Sui and Tang dynasties, the image of Guan Yu's gods spread, but in some records he is portrayed as an image of an "evil spirit", because he died bravely and unjustly, and people were afraid that his soul would haunt him, so they built an ancestral hall for him, but he was still considered good in nature.
Religious Influence and Image Transformation Stages (Tang-Song-Yuan):
Since the Tang Dynasty, Yuquan Temple has become an important place to worship Guan Yu, and his image in the hearts of the people has gradually exaggerated.
During the Song and Yuan dynasties, Guan Yu got rid of the identity of evil spirits in folk beliefs. During the Song Dynasty, he was regarded as the god of rain because of the importance of rain in agricultural societies.
In terms of Buddhism, the "Records of the Buddha" records that Guan Yu was willing to become a Buddhist disciple after listening to the speeches of Buddhist sages, and was officially named the god of Garan in the Yuan Dynasty, and his image was transformed and improved in Buddhism.
Taoism followed by giving Guan Yu the function of the protector master, and also derived the legend of Guan Yu beheading Chiyou, etc., and in the middle and late Song Dynasty, the ruler vigorously promoted Guan Yu's spirit of loyalty in order to call against foreign enemies.
The rise of the Jin merchants in the Song Dynasty began to revere Guan Yu out of their worship of their fellow villager Guan Yu and the need for the spirit of "loyalty and righteousness" in commercial activities.
The stage of establishing the image of the God of Wealth (Ming and Qing Dynasties):
Some Fengyue places in the Ming Dynasty replaced the white-eyed god with the statue of Guan Yu for reasons such as correct name, and there were many imitators, and Guan Yu gradually became the ancestor of some industries.
By the Wanli period, Guan Yu was regarded as a protector by many merchants.
In the Qing Dynasty, the identity of Guan Yuwu God of Wealth was formalized. There are many reasons for this, Guan Yu once had the behavior of keeping accounts of the rewards received by Cao Cao, which is in line with the simple concept of financial management of the people.
At the same time, Jin merchants and other business groups continued to respect Guan Yu in the commercial activities of the Ming and Qing dynasties, and with the wide spread of commercial activities, the image of Guan Yu's God of Wealth became more deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was a critical stage for Guan Yu to become the God of Wealth. On the one hand, due to the further development of the commodity economy, the rise of the merchant gang made the commercial culture more prosperous. Businessmen need a deity who can represent their values and pray for business success. Guan Yu's loyalty, righteousness and bravery are regarded as essential qualities for business success. On the other hand, the official admiration for Guan Yu has reached the extreme. The emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties crowned Guan Yu many times, making his status continue to rise, and he became a "martial saint", which is as famous as the "literary saint" Confucius. Under the dual impetus of both the government and the people, Guan Yu gradually transformed from a simple historical figure and religious deity to a god of wealth who could bring wealth and good luck in business.
In this process, the dissemination of Guan Yu's image is not limited to China itself. With the overseas migration of the Chinese, the cult of Guan Yu also spread to Chinese communities around the world. Shrines dedicated to Guan Yu can often be seen in overseas Chinese shops, and he has become the spiritual sustenance for overseas Chinese to uphold cultural traditions and pray for commercial prosperity in foreign countries.
Since modern times, despite the great changes in the social system and economic form, Guan Yu's belief as the god of wealth has still continued to a certain extent. In some traditional commercial fields and folk customs, Guan Yu's image of the god of wealth still has important symbolic significance. At the same time, Guan Yu's image has also been reinterpreted and disseminated through modern cultural forms such as movies, TV series, and games.
In short, the historical evolution of Guan Yu as the God of Wealth is a complex process that integrates historical, cultural, economic, religious, and social psychological factors. He gradually evolved from a historical military general to a god who can bring wealth and good luck in people's minds, reflecting the needs of society and people's value orientation in different periods. This evolution not only enriches China's cultural connotation, but also demonstrates the strong vitality and adaptability of folk beliefs.
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