Cai Shen (deity)
Cai Shen is a prominent deity in Chinese culture, revered as the god of wealth and prosperity. His worship spans across various social strata, with both the affluent and the less fortunate seeking his blessings for abundance and financial security. Cai Shen is often depicted in shops and craft establishments, where devotees honor him by lighting incense and maintaining shrines. He is considered the head of the divine Ministry of Wealth and is associated with several historical figures, notably Chao Kung-ming and Bi Gan, who are believed to represent different aspects of his character.
Visually, Cai Shen is portrayed with a distinctive appearance, often riding a black tiger and holding a silver ingot, symbolizing wealth. His attire typically features vibrant colors like red, which signifies luck, adorned with motifs of coins and lotus flowers. Various myths narrate his origin, with one of the most popular stories detailing his transformation from a heroic figure in the Shang dynasty to a venerated god following his untimely death.
Cai Shen's influence extends into modern celebrations, particularly during the Chinese New Year, when rituals and greetings are dedicated to him, emphasizing hopes for wealth in the coming year. His cultural significance also permeates popular media, exemplified by his appearance in video games, which further reflects his enduring legacy in contemporary society.
Subject Terms
Cai Shen (deity)
Symbols: Money tree; gold ingot
Culture: Chinese Taoist; Chinese Confucian; Chinese Buddhist
Cai Shen is the very popular Chinese god of wealth. Widely venerated by rich and poor alike, he is responsible for the prosperity of his flock, keeping them free of poverty and giving them abundance. He occupies a prominent place in most establishments, especially in the shops of merchants and craftsmen, who worship him and light incense and candles in his shrine twice a day.
The Chinese pantheon is arranged remarkably like an earthly monarchy or organization with various departments overseeing certain functions, each with their own minister and personnel. So Cai Shen is the head of the divine Ministry of Wealth and has attendants who carry out his will. Some scholars consider him the combination of two gods—He Who Brings Riches and He Who Brings Gain.
Cai Shen has been identified with many historic people, from prehistoric times to the fourteenth century. Cai Shen started off as a folk hero who was later deified and venerated as the god of wealth. The two most popular men associated with Cai Shen are Chao Kung-ming and Bi Gan.
The god is often depicted in the vicinity of his money tree, a popular symbol of his. The money tree’s branches are made of strings of cash, and are laden with ingots (which look somewhat like boats) of gold and silver instead of fruit. It is said gold and silver will rain down when the tree is shaken. Cai Shen also owns a magical inexhaustible chest full of gold and silver, which he gives to those he favors.
Cai Shen is also depicted riding his black tiger holding a silver ingot in his hand. He is shown wearing either a red (which symbolizes luck) or pink robe, which is associated with Yin (symbolic of the earth, the feminine, and darkness), peach blossoms, and Spring. There are a string of coins around the hem of his robe, a lotus motif (fertility symbol) on his breast, and he holds a golden mushroom (symbol of longevity) in his hand. He is also shown holding a Ruyi, which sometimes represents a ceremonial scepter and at other times symbolizes power and good fortune. Sometimes Cai Shen is portrayed as a dual deity—one as a civil god with a white face and the other a military god with a red face.
At times Cai Shen is shown with attendants. One of his attendants carries a deer horn, which is symbolic of potency, while another one carries a bowl of money and a sheaf of grass. Cai Shen also appears in the company of Fu Shen, god of luck, and Shou Xing, god of longevity. His other names include Ts’ai Shen, Xiang Cong, and Hsiang Ts’ung.
In Mythology
There are varied stories for Cai Shen’s origins, but his most popular identification is with the twelfth century hermit Chao Kung-ming, also called Zhao Gongming. This was the time when the Shang dynasty was on the verge of collapse. Chao Kung-ming chose the side of the Shang dynasty and battled Chiang Tzu-ya, who was on the side of the Zhou dynasty. It was said he performed many wondrous feats, could ride a black tiger, threw pearls as hand grenades, and wielded a steel whip. Ultimately, Chiang Tzu-ya employed some witchcraft to get rid of his nemesis. He made a straw effigy of Chao Kung-ming, wrote his name on it, lit incense, and worshipped it for twenty days. And on the twenty-first day, Chiang Tzu-ya shot arrows made of peach tree wood into the eyes and heart of the effigy. At that very moment Chao Kung-ming, who was in the Shang camp, became ill and died. The Shang dynasty was ultimately conquered by the Zhou dynasty.
Later, Chiang Tzu-ya persuaded the Jade Emperor (the supreme Taoist deity) to release the spirits of those heroes who had died in the battle. When this was done, the Jade Emperor praised Chao Kung-ming for his bravery in battle and criticized the circumstances under which he was killed. In recognition of his deeds, Chao Kung-ming was canonized and proclaimed president of the Ministry of Wealth.
Another myth says that Cai Shen was Bi Gan, a pious man who was a relative of Di Xin, the last Shang emperor. When Bi Gan criticized his depraved way of life, an angry Di Xin sentenced him to death and allegedly said that he now had a chance to verify whether it was true that every sage was said to have seven openings in his heart. After his death Bi Gan was canonized and made the god of wealth.
Origins and Cults
Cai Shen’s appeal as the god of wealth and prosperity has made him a popular figure in Taoism, folk religion, and Confucianism. He is even venerated by Buddhists as an immortal.
During the two-week long Chinese New Year celebrations, incense and a huge amount of paper money is burned at Cai Shen’s temples. Friends sometimes exchange the traditional New Year greeting "May you become rich." There’s also a popular Chinese New Year festive song called "Cai Shen Dao" that welcomes the god of wealth into their homes.
Cai Shen’s birthday is celebrated on the fifth day of the first lunar month of the Chinese calendar with sacrifices and ceremonies.
In Popular Culture
Crossy Road is a very popular arcade video game developed by Hipster Whale and released in 2014. The goal of the game is to get as far as possible by crossing all the roads, rivers, train tracks, and grass. In 2015, before the Chinese New Year, the developers released a hidden character called Cai Shen, which can be unlocked by collecting tiny red envelopes that allude to the red envelopes that the Chinese use to traditionally present monetary gifts. The character in the game resembles the god with its mustache and beard, and red and yellow robes.
Bibliography
Coulter, Charles, and Patricia Turner. Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities. New York: Routledge, 2012. Print.
Jordan, Michael. Dictionary of Gods and Goddesses. 2nd ed. New York: Facts on File, 2004. Print
Knapp, Ronald. China’s Living Houses: Folk Beliefs, Symbols, and Household Ornamentation. Honolulu: U of Hawai’i P. 1999. Print.
Merriam-Webster’s Encyclopedia of World Religions. Consulting ed. Wendy Doniger. Springfield: Merriam-Webster, 1999. Print.
Roberts, Jeremy. Chinese Mythology A to Z. New York: Facts on File, 2004. Print.
Werner, E. T.C. Myths and Legends of China. Auckland: Floating, 2009. Print.