{"id":5364,"date":"2026-04-27T10:36:56","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T10:36:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/guan-yu\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T14:33:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T14:33:16","slug":"guan-yu","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/guan-yu\/","title":{"rendered":"Guan Yu"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"5364\" class=\"elementor elementor-5364 elementor-2104 elementor-bc-flex-widget\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-10fdade e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"10fdade\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-herohlft0 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"herohlft0\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c3ceb64 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"c3ceb64\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-96ae5e1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"96ae5e1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Guan Yu, god of the Chinese tradition<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e45238a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e45238a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The deified general, <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A sign that stands in place of an idea or meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">symbol<\/span> of loyalty, god of war and justice. Guan Yu is not a mythological god but a historical general from the era of the Three Kingdoms (184 to 280 AD) who was deified through centuries of folk <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The passing on of knowledge and narratives across generations.\" tabindex=\"0\">tradition<\/span>.<\/p><p>With red cheeks, a long black beard and his flaming blade *Guan Dao*, he embodies virtue, loyalty unto death and martial honour.<\/p><p>In the *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*, the most widely read Chinese novel, Guan Yu is a radiant figure: a general who does not abandon his lord even as defeat is imminent.<\/p><p>His execution became <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An edifying narrative, usually about the lives of saints.\" tabindex=\"0\">legend<\/span>. Later Guan Yu was admitted into <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A building dedicated to the worship of one or more deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">temples<\/span>, and from there into the Daoist and Buddhist <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of the gods of a religion or culture.\" tabindex=\"0\">pantheon<\/span>, not as a god of transcendence but as the patron of morally upright people.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-klsbdg01 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"klsbdg01\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-klshtm01 elementor-widget elementor-widget-html\" data-id=\"klshtm01\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"html.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"iwg-pill-row\"><span class=\"iwg-klasse-badge\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"God \/ goddess: personified supreme power in the pantheon of a culture, with clear responsibilities such as natural forces, fate, war, fertility. Worshipped through cults, sacrifices and temple institutions.\">God<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/china\/\" class=\"iwg-kultur-badge\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Chinese religion of gods, spirits and folk belief; Daoist, Buddhist and Confucian.\">China<\/a><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f74855 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"3f74855\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1c30362 elementor-toc--minimized-on-tablet elementor-widget elementor-widget-table-of-contents\" data-id=\"1c30362\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;exclude_headings_by_selector&quot;:[],&quot;no_headings_message&quot;:&quot;Es wurden keine \\u00dcberschriften auf dieser Seite gefunden.&quot;,&quot;headings_by_tags&quot;:[&quot;h2&quot;,&quot;h3&quot;],&quot;marker_view&quot;:&quot;bullets&quot;,&quot;minimize_box&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;icon&quot;:{&quot;value&quot;:&quot;fas fa-circle&quot;,&quot;library&quot;:&quot;fa-solid&quot;,&quot;rendered_tag&quot;:&quot;&lt;svg class=\\&quot;e-font-icon-svg e-fas-circle\\&quot; viewBox=\\&quot;0 0 512 512\\&quot; xmlns=\\&quot;http:\\\/\\\/www.w3.org\\\/2000\\\/svg\\&quot;&gt;&lt;path d=\\&quot;M256 8C119 8 8 119 8 256s111 248 248 248 248-111 248-248S393 8 256 8z\\&quot;&gt;&lt;\\\/path&gt;&lt;\\\/svg&gt;&quot;},&quot;minimized_on&quot;:&quot;tablet&quot;,&quot;hierarchical_view&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;min_height&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;min_height_tablet&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;min_height_mobile&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]}}\" data-widget_type=\"table-of-contents.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-toc__header-title\">\n\t\t\t\tTable of Contents\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__toggle-button elementor-toc__toggle-button--expand\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"elementor-toc__1c30362\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-label=\"Open table of contents\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-chevron-down\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M207.029 381.476L12.686 187.132c-9.373-9.373-9.373-24.569 0-33.941l22.667-22.667c9.357-9.357 24.522-9.375 33.901-.04L224 284.505l154.745-154.021c9.379-9.335 24.544-9.317 33.901.04l22.667 22.667c9.373 9.373 9.373 24.569 0 33.941L240.971 381.476c-9.373 9.372-24.569 9.372-33.942 0z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__toggle-button elementor-toc__toggle-button--collapse\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"elementor-toc__1c30362\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-label=\"Close table of contents\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-chevron-up\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M240.971 130.524l194.343 194.343c9.373 9.373 9.373 24.569 0 33.941l-22.667 22.667c-9.357 9.357-24.522 9.375-33.901.04L224 227.495 69.255 381.516c-9.379 9.335-24.544 9.317-33.901-.04l-22.667-22.667c-9.373-9.373-9.373-24.569 0-33.941L207.03 130.525c9.372-9.373 24.568-9.373 33.941-.001z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-toc__1c30362\" class=\"elementor-toc__body\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__spinner-container\">\n\t\t\t\t<svg class=\"elementor-toc__spinner eicon-animation-spin e-font-icon-svg e-eicon-loading\" aria-hidden=\"true\" viewBox=\"0 0 1000 1000\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M500 975V858C696 858 858 696 858 500S696 142 500 142 142 304 142 500H25C25 237 238 25 500 25S975 237 975 500 763 975 500 975Z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-herorght0 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"herorght0\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-heroimg00 iwg-hero-image elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"heroimg00\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_china_guan-yu-683x1024.webp\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-5365\" alt=\"Guan Yu - gods from the Chinese tradition, historical and illustrative###ENDFIELD###\ufffd\ufffd\ufffd\ufffd\ufffd\ufffd\ufffd\ufffd\ufffd\ufffd\ufffd\ufffd\" srcset=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_china_guan-yu-683x1024.webp 683w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_china_guan-yu-200x300.webp 200w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_china_guan-yu-768x1152.webp 768w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_china_guan-yu.webp 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-32917199 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"32917199\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-26e916cb e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"26e916cb\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-253a40d4 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"253a40d4\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1200c304 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1200c304\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Guan Yu<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-159dcf9a e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"159dcf9a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-48cee66f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"48cee66f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">At a Glance: Guan Yu<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f50d82c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3f50d82c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Type:<\/strong> Chinese major <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A being venerated as divine within a religion.\" tabindex=\"0\">deity<\/span>, god of war and warriors, deified historical hero<br><span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of the gods of a religion or culture.\" tabindex=\"0\">Pantheon<\/span>: <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Chinese religious and philosophical tradition oriented toward the Dao, the Way.\" tabindex=\"0\">Daoism<\/span>, Chinese folk <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The academic discipline that studies religions comparatively and without confessional commitment.\" tabindex=\"0\">religion<\/span>, Buddhism (as Sangharama <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"In Mahayana Buddhism, an enlightened being who postpones their liberation for the sake of teaching other beings.\" tabindex=\"0\">Bodhisattva<\/span>)<br>Function: war, loyalty, justice, wealth, protection of business and police<br>Main attributes: red beard, green robe, the horse Red Hare, the giant halberd Guan Dao<br>Main <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of religious acts of veneration for a deity or sacred figure.\" tabindex=\"0\">cult<\/span> sites: Guandi <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A building dedicated to the worship of one or more deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">temples<\/span> in Luoyang (his tomb), Mt. Yuquan, in every Chinese district<br>Buddhist <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Fusion of elements of different religions or cults into new mixed forms, as in Haitian Vodou (Lwa and Catholic saints).\">syncretism<\/span>: Sangharama Bodhisattva (protection of <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A building dedicated to the worship of one or more deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">temples<\/span>)<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-18613602 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"18613602\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-262b8a9f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"262b8a9f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Historical Classification<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-46dcb7d e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"46dcb7d\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-61d3ab3 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"61d3ab3\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-117c166 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"117c166\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Period of the texts<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-73997a0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"73997a0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Guan Yu (162 to 220 AD) was a historical general of the Later <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Korean concept of deep-seated, accumulated grief and unresolved injustice; classically drives the Cheonyeo-gwishin motif.\">Han<\/span> dynasty, made famous by the novel <em>Sange Yanyi<\/em> (<em>The Three Kingdoms<\/em>, 14th c.). Deification begins as early as the Sui dynasty (6th\/7th c.); his canonised position in the Chinese <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of the gods of a religion or culture.\" tabindex=\"0\">pantheon<\/span> dates from the Tang period.<\/p><p>Under the Ming empire (1368 to 1644) he rose to become the &#8220;Martial Saint&#8221; (<em>Wu Sheng<\/em>), parallel to Confucius as the &#8220;Civil Saint&#8221;.<\/p><p>In the Qing dynasty he was institutionalised as a protective god of the empire. Today he is one of the most popular Chinese folk deities worldwide, present as a protective figure in every Chinese restaurant and shop.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d47b156 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"d47b156\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ff38c2b elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"ff38c2b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Area of distribution<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4e49fcc elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4e49fcc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Main cult sites: the <strong>Guanlin <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A building dedicated to the worship of one or more deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">temple<\/span><\/strong> in Luoyang (Henan, his tomb; one of the largest Guan Yu <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A building dedicated to the worship of one or more deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">temples<\/span> worldwide), the <strong>Yuquan <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A building dedicated to the worship of one or more deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">temple<\/span><\/strong> in Hubei (the mythical site where his <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An incorporeal being to which effects in the world are attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">spirit<\/span> acted), the <strong>Jiezhou Guandi <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A building dedicated to the worship of one or more deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">temple<\/span><\/strong> in Shanxi (his birthplace).<\/p><p>Every Chinese city has several <em>Guandi <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A building dedicated to the worship of one or more deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">temples<\/span><\/em>. Internationally he is found in every Chinese restaurant, shop and martial arts studio, and in the police stations of Hong Kong (he is the patron of police officers as well as of the Triads).<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-db03c39 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"db03c39\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-229a87b e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"229a87b\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1f471fc elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1f471fc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Source situation<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-36b1201 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"36b1201\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Central sources: historically the <em>Sangguozhi<\/em> (3rd c. Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms), in literature the <em>Sange Yanyi<\/em> (Luo Guanzhong, 14th c., the main source of the folk tradition), and the <em>Guan Sheng Dijun Sheng Ji Tu Zhi<\/em> (a Ming-era <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"A saint's narrative, often edifying and stylised; a literary genre with its own conventions since late antiquity.\">hagiography<\/span>).<\/p><p>Secondary literature: ter Haar, <em>Guan Yu. The Religious Afterlife of a Failed Hero<\/em>; Werner, <em>Myths and Legends of China<\/em>; Yang\/An, <em>Handbook of Chinese <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of the transmitted divine narratives of a culture.\" tabindex=\"0\">Mythology<\/span><\/em>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3ae0637c e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"3ae0637c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-31d07739 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"31d07739\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Name and spellings<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b7642947 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"b7642947\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a086266 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a086266\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Guan Yu is immediately recognisable: red cheeks (an artistic <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A sign that stands in place of an idea or meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">symbol<\/span> expressing the pain of loyalty, not anger), a long black beard, traditional armour or silk robes. His blade <em>Guan Dao<\/em> is a halberd with a crescent-shaped blade, a weapon that is <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A sign that stands representatively for a concept or meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">symbolic<\/span> rather than practical.<\/p><p>He is often shown on horseback, or enthroned with a calm, dignified presence. Unlike Zhong Kui (wild) or Raijin (demonic), Guan Yu is majestic rather than frightening. Artistically his portrait is central to <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A building dedicated to the worship of one or more deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">temple<\/span> altars and military academies. The colour red is central: red cheeks, and later red robes in <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A building dedicated to the worship of one or more deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">temple<\/span> depictions.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-709a44a8 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"709a44a8\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2f585873 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2f585873\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Description<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-70621c12 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"70621c12\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4296eb49 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4296eb49\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Guan Yu is venerated as the patron of loyalty, of fidelity to business contracts and of military honour. Merchants set up a Guan Yu statue in order to swear honesty in commercial agreements.<\/p><p>Military academies, police and military institutions venerate him. Unlike other deities, Guan Yu is asked not for a <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The conferring of salvation and protection, often in a fixed verbal form.\" tabindex=\"0\">blessing<\/span> but for moral strength. His birth festival falls on the sixth day of the fifth lunar month.<\/p><p>The Guan Gong <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A building dedicated to the worship of one or more deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">temple<\/span> in Guangzhou is one of the largest and oldest, with a thousand years of history. Buddhist circles identify Guan Yu as a manifestation of the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"In Mahayana Buddhism, an enlightened being who postpones their own liberation for the sake of the teaching and of other beings.\">Bodhisattva<\/span> Guan Gong, not a transformation but a recognition of his spiritual quality.<\/p><p>Unlike Yuhuang (administration) or Yanluo (judgement), Guan Yu is personally approachable; one can ask him for advice, not merely for formal permission.<\/p><p><strong>Appearance and symbolism<\/strong><\/p><p><em>Guan Yu<\/em> is portrayed as a tall, red man with a long beard, often in battle armour. He carries a lance (Guandao) and sits on a green horse. His red face symbolises righteousness and courage. He is often depicted together with his companions (two other historical generals) as a triad.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-44e71476 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"44e71476\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3c1fc3f0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3c1fc3f0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Profile: Guan Yu<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-84f33b8e e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"84f33b8e\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-hqkdc67p elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"hqkdc67p\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The most important aspects of Guan Yu at a glance. The following fields summarise his origin, function, appearance, veneration, symbols and cultural parallels.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c5 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c5\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c1 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c1\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-qh9oavvu iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"qh9oavvu\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-awzx8k2k elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"awzx8k2k\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Guan Yu's origin<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-x6rowhv0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"x6rowhv0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Guan Yu was born in 162 AD in Hedong (today Yuncheng, Shanxi) and died in 220 as a general of Liu Bei in the late <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Korean concept of deep-seated, accumulated grief and unresolved injustice; drives the Cheonyeo-gwishin motif.\">Han<\/span> period.<\/p><p>In the historical <em>Sange Yanyi<\/em> he is immortalised as a brother in the Peach Garden Oath of Liu Bei and Zhang Fei, the most famous image of brotherhood in the Chinese tradition.<\/p><p>His death (his execution by Sun Quan) is seen as an unjust separation. A wife and son are mentioned in the sources, but only peripherally; the central mythological theme is his unbroken loyalty to Liu Bei.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8e3o4kxs iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"8e3o4kxs\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-08rkdgov elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"08rkdgov\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Object of influence<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-uwjelx8s elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"uwjelx8s\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Patron of <em>loyalty<\/em> (zhong) and of <em>justice<\/em> (yi), the two central Confucian virtues in their mythological embodiment. Protective god of warriors, police officers and (paradoxically) of the criminal secret societies (Triads).<\/p><p>Patron of merchants and businesspeople because, according to <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An edifying narrative, usually about the lives of saints.\" tabindex=\"0\">legend<\/span>, he always paid his debts honourably. In modern China and Hong Kong: protection against financial losses, fraudulent business partners and danger in one&#8217;s profession.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-jm2n74ec iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"jm2n74ec\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8vufse4c elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"8vufse4c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Depiction<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-mwb9u015 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"mwb9u015\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Characteristically depicted with a <strong>red beard and red face<\/strong> (a <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A sign that stands in place of an idea or meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">symbol<\/span> of inner purity and loyalty, a rare and unmistakable <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The study of pictorial content and its meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">iconography<\/span>), a green (sometimes golden) long-sleeved robe and an official&#8217;s hat.<\/p><p>In his right hand the <em>Guan Dao<\/em> (a sickle-shaped halberd-like weapon named after him). Often on his famous horse <em>Red Hare<\/em> (Chitu). Accompanied by his adopted son Guan Ping and his loyal servant Zhou Cang. In standing or seated poses, always with majestic calm.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c2 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c2\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-37ss2yr6 iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"37ss2yr6\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3v0wp3wx elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3v0wp3wx\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Activity<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-w3247g2m elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"w3247g2m\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Sphere of influence:<\/strong> Guan Yu is venerated in every Chinese restaurant, shop and martial arts studio and in many private homes, one of the few gods whose statue reaches into modern secular spaces. Daily incense is offered before his household <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An elevated place or table for offerings and religious acts.\" tabindex=\"0\">altar<\/span>.<\/p><p>His birthday on the 13th day of the 5th month (Chinese calendar) is celebrated with great festivals. In Hong Kong and Taiwan, police stations honour him as their patron. In the traditional Triads he is paradoxically also the central recipient of oaths, a cultural tension that has been much discussed.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0qpjal9w iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"0qpjal9w\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6ndoih0o elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"6ndoih0o\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Guan Yu's protection<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6684tyh9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6684tyh9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Guan Dao (a sickle-shaped halberd named after him), red beard, red face, green long-sleeved robe, official&#8217;s hat, the horse Red Hare (Chitu), adopted son Guan Ping, servant Zhou Cang. <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Belonging to the divine and thereby withdrawn from everyday use.\" tabindex=\"0\">Sacred<\/span> plants: peach (the Peach Garden Oath). Sacred animals: the horse Red Hare. Sacred colours: red and green.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3lfi7x32 iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"3lfi7x32\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0kg99ga1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"0kg99ga1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Comparable figures<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-n0fum6kp elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"n0fum6kp\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><em>Sangharama Bodhisattva<\/em> (Buddhism, Chinese-Buddhist <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Fusion of elements of different religions or cults into mixed forms, as in Haitian Vodou.\">syncretism<\/span>), <em>Bishamonten<\/em> (Japan, protective god and warrior), <em>Mars<\/em> (Rome, god of war), <em>Tyr<\/em> (Germanic, warrior god), <em>Karttikeya\/Skanda<\/em> (Hinduism, god of war), <em>Inguri<\/em> (Vodou, warrior Loa).<\/p><p>Comparable as a &#8220;deified historical hero&#8221;: <em>St. George<\/em> (Christian), <em>Genghis Khan<\/em> (Mongolian in some folk traditions). Guan Yu is the most famous &#8220;historical person turned major god&#8221; transformation in the religious history of China.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7533bc7a e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"7533bc7a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2447d18d elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2447d18d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Protection in everyday life<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d5d0260c e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"d5d0260c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-341be2ac elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"341be2ac\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Rituals of veneration<\/strong><\/p><p>In China Guan Yu is venerated as the god of loyalty (Guandi\/\u95dc\u5e1d), with large Guan Yu <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A building dedicated to the worship of one or more deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">temples<\/span> in all major Chinese cities. Main festival: Guandi Sheng Dan (his birthday on the 24th day of the 6th lunar month) with <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An ordered sequence of symbolic actions with religious or cultural meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">ritual<\/span> <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An offering to a deity to express gratitude, petition, or veneration.\" tabindex=\"0\">offerings<\/span> (fruit, meat, wine, incense sticks).<\/p><p>Veneration in business and military communities, with statues in guard rooms and offices for loyalty and courage. Chinese folk practice: morning bows before Guan Yu altars.<\/p><p><strong>Invocations and appeals<\/strong><\/p><p>Daoist <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The petitioning or invoking address of a deity or power.\" tabindex=\"0\">invocation<\/span>: \u300c\u95dc\u516c\u95dc\u8056\u5e1d\u541b\u4fdd\u4f51\u300d (Guan Gong Guan Sheng Dijun Baoyou, Great General Guan, <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Belonging to the divine and thereby withdrawn from everyday use.\" tabindex=\"0\">Holy<\/span> Emperor, protect us). Historical texts use scenes from the Three Kingdoms novel (Sanguo Yan Yi) as a basis for <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The verbal turning of a person toward a deity.\" tabindex=\"0\">prayer<\/span>. <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An object to which a fortune- or success-bringing effect is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">Talismans<\/span> with a Guan Yu portrait and Daoist seals are available from Daoist priests.<\/p><p><strong><span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A worn object to which a protective, misfortune-averting effect is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">Amulets<\/span> and protective symbols<\/strong><\/p><p>Guan Yu statues and <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An object to which a fortune- or success-bringing effect is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">talisman<\/span> images (Fu) in shops, police stations and war memorials. Archaeological evidence: Guan Yu bronze statues from the Ming period (14th to 17th c.), <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A building dedicated to the worship of one or more deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">temple<\/span> reliefs in Changshu and Shaoxing.<\/p><p>Modern Guan Yu shrines in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore show a continuous tradition of veneration since the age of the Three Kingdoms (2nd to 3rd c.).<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5a584676 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"5a584676\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6d0757bf elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"6d0757bf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Guan Yu, parallels in other cultures<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-60563f68 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"60563f68\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5a93fdd6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5a93fdd6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Guan Yu resembles the European Saint George (soldier, virtue), the Greek Achilles (warlike, honour) and the Hebrew David (bravery, loyalty to the king). Unlike these, Guan Yu is clearly attested historically, not mythological and poetic.<\/p><p>With the Aztec Huitzilopochtli he shares the status of a war god, but Huitzilopochtli is primarily a god, whereas Guan Yu is primarily a deified human.<\/p><p>With Susanoo (the Japanese storm god) he shares aspects of war, but Susanoo is a cosmic god, whereas Guan Yu is a moral hero. Unique is the literary mediation: a novel turned a general into a god, showing the power of narrative over spirituality.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp3a7ace3 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cp3a7ace3\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpd95eaa2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cpd95eaa2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">From general to god: the historical person Guan Yu<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpc7628f5 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cpc7628f5\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpd8338cc elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cpd8338cc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Guan Yu was originally a historical figure. He lived in the late 2nd and early 3rd century, toward the end of the Han dynasty, and served as a general under Liu Bei, one of the warlords from whose conflicts the period of the Three Kingdoms emerged.<\/p><p>The earliest accounts of him are found in the <em>Sanguozhi<\/em>, the &#8220;Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms&#8221; by the historian Chen Shou from the late 3rd century, supplemented by the commentary of Pei Songzhi from the 5th century.<\/p><p>The historical <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The handing down of knowledge and narratives across generations.\" tabindex=\"0\">tradition<\/span> portrays Guan Yu as a capable but also proud commander. His capture and execution around 220, following a military defeat against the kingdom of Wu, are attested.<\/p><p>The sober chronicle notes give hardly any indication of the later religious veneration; they show a man of his time whose reputation rested above all on loyalty to Liu Bei.<\/p><p>The path from this person to a <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A being venerated as divine within a religion.\" tabindex=\"0\">deity<\/span> took centuries. Local cults at the place of his death and at sites of his activity arose in the Tang and especially in the Song period.<\/p><p>What was decisive was that the person of Guan Yu became a bearer of the virtue of loyalty (<em>zhong<\/em>) and of righteousness (<em>yi<\/em>), that is, of values prized by the Confucian state as well as by Buddhist and Daoist circles.<\/p><p>His deification was therefore not a break but a gradual charging of a real biography with moral meaning. <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The discipline that studies religions comparatively and without confessional commitment.\" tabindex=\"0\">Religious studies<\/span> research, for example the work of Prasenjit Duara on the &#8220;superscribing&#8221; of symbols, has shown how different social groups each filled the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of religious acts of veneration for a deity or holy figure.\" tabindex=\"0\">cult<\/span> with their own content.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp2c25cc6 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cp2c25cc6\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp5d88841 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cp5d88841\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The Romance of the Three Kingdoms and the shaping of the legend<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpa948130 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cpa948130\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp0247704 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cp0247704\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The image of Guan Yu that is popular today derives less from the chronicles than from the novel <em>Sanguo Yanyi<\/em>, the &#8220;Romance of the Three Kingdoms&#8221;, which took its familiar form in the 14th century and is attributed to Luo Guanzhong.<\/p><p>The novel works older oral narratives, theatrical material and historiography into an elaborate story.<\/p><p>In this work Guan Yu acquires his well-known attributes and episodes. The oath in the peach garden, in which Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei vow brotherhood unto death, shapes his image as the epitome of fidelity.<\/p><p>Episodes such as the crossing of five passes, in which he fights his way from an enemy camp back to his lord, or his stoic endurance when the physician Hua Tuo cuts open his poisoned arm while he calmly plays on, condense into a fixed repertoire.<\/p><p>The novel also gave Guan Yu his iconographic markers: the red face, the long beard, the halberd named &#8220;Green Dragon&#8221; and the horse Red Hare. These features were spread through opera and woodblock printing so thoroughly that they now define every <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A building dedicated to the worship of one or more deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">temple<\/span> and every statue.<\/p><p>Important for scholarship is the interaction: the novel fed the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of religious acts of veneration for a deity or holy figure.\" tabindex=\"0\">cult<\/span> with narrative material, and the growing <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of religious acts of veneration for a deity or holy figure.\" tabindex=\"0\">cult<\/span> in turn made the novel more popular.<\/p><p>The literary and the religious <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The handing down of knowledge and narratives across generations.\" tabindex=\"0\">tradition<\/span> therefore cannot be cleanly separated. Whoever reads the novel is at the same time reading a religious source work, and whoever studies the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of religious acts of veneration for a deity or holy figure.\" tabindex=\"0\">cult<\/span> cannot avoid the novel.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp4efd7b0 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cp4efd7b0\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpd6e038a elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cpd6e038a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Guan Di: imperial titles and the career of a state god<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp9fa1445 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cp9fa1445\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpf229dc3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cpf229dc3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The elevation of Guan Yu to a state god took place through a long series of imperial titles. He already received honours in the Song period, but the decisive rise occurred under the Ming and Qing dynasties.<\/p><p>The Manchu rulers of the Qing promoted the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of religious acts of veneration for a deity or holy figure.\" tabindex=\"0\">cult<\/span> with particular emphasis; they saw in the loyalty embodied by Guan Yu a model that their subjects were meant to internalise.<\/p><p>The titles escalated over the centuries. A &#8220;prince&#8221; became an &#8220;emperor&#8221; (<em>di<\/em>), from which the widespread form of address Guan Di emerged.<\/p><p>By the 19th century his official title had grown into a long chain of honorific epithets, and his <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of religious acts of veneration for a deity or holy figure.\" tabindex=\"0\">cult<\/span> was integrated into the state sacrificial system, with its own temples in the capital and in the provincial cities. The officialdom offered him regular <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A gift to a deity, expressing thanks, a request or veneration.\" tabindex=\"0\">sacrifices<\/span>.<\/p><p>This state promotion made Guan Yu one of the few figures claimed at the same time by Confucianism, by <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Chinese religious and philosophical tradition oriented toward the Dao, the Way.\" tabindex=\"0\">Daoism<\/span> and by Buddhism. The Confucian state saw in him the loyal servant, <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Chinese religious and philosophical tradition oriented toward the Dao, the Way.\" tabindex=\"0\">Daoism<\/span> admitted him into its <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of the gods of a religion or culture.\" tabindex=\"0\">pantheon<\/span>, and Buddhism venerated him as a protective deity (<em>qielan<\/em>) of the monasteries.<\/p><p>Religious studies research has recognised in this multiple affiliation a typical feature of Chinese religious practice, in which the same <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A being venerated as divine within a religion.\" tabindex=\"0\">deity<\/span> can be interpreted differently by different traditions and social groups and yet be venerated jointly.<\/p><p>With the end of the empire in 1911 the state cult lost its official framework, but the folk-religious <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of religious acts of veneration for a deity or holy figure.\" tabindex=\"0\">cult<\/span> continued unbroken.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpd152391 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cpd152391\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp7445922 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cp7445922\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Guan Yu as god of trade and of the secret societies<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp9704ab3 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cp9704ab3\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpf91cc68 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cpf91cc68\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>One of the most striking developments of the cult is the veneration of Guan Yu as a protective god of merchants. At first glance it seems inconsistent that a war hero should become the patron of trade. Scholarship explains this above all through the value of <em>yi<\/em>, righteousness and fidelity to contracts.<\/p><p>In commercial life, which rested on reliability and keeping one&#8217;s word, Guan Yu became the guarantor of honest agreements. Merchant guilds built him <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A building dedicated to the worship of one or more deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">temples<\/span>, and his image stood and still stands in countless shops, often provided with an <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The concrete object or food offered to a deity.\" tabindex=\"0\">offering<\/span>.<\/p><p>A second, partly connected line is the veneration by brotherhoods and secret societies. Organisations based on sworn brotherhood <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The petitioning or invoking address to a deity or power.\" tabindex=\"0\">invoked<\/span> the oath in the peach garden as their mythical model. New members swore their oath before the image of Guan Yu, who thus became the guarantor of loyalty within the group.<\/p><p>This function at the same time made him the protective deity of soldiers and police, that is, of professions that depend on comradeship and reliability.<\/p><p>To this day his images are found both in police stations and in the rooms of organised criminal associations, which shows that the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of religious acts of veneration for a deity or holy figure.\" tabindex=\"0\">cult<\/span> is about the social logic of the binding oath, not about a particular morality of the group.<\/p><p>With Chinese migration Guan Yu spread across Southeast Asia as far as North America and Europe. In the Chinatowns of the world his <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A building dedicated to the worship of one or more deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">temple<\/span> is part of the basic infrastructure of the community.<\/p><p>Religious studies research uses this broadly conceived, adaptable <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of religious acts of veneration for a deity or holy figure.\" tabindex=\"0\">cult<\/span> as an example of how a single <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A being venerated as divine within a religion.\" tabindex=\"0\">deity<\/span> can religiously secure the state, the economy and the informal social order all at once.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp8b64f44 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cp8b64f44\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp1aff45b elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cp1aff45b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Iconography: the red face and the green dragon<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp81d29fc e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cp81d29fc\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp0e8c7c9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cp0e8c7c9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The pictorial representation of Guan Yu is so fixed that he is immediately recognisable on statues, paintings and in opera. Decisive is the deep red face, which in the Chinese theatrical tradition stands for loyalty and upright character.<\/p><p>The novel explains the colour with an episode of its own, but its real meaning lies in the symbolic language of the stage, from which it passed onto the religious images.<\/p><p>Further fixed markers are the long, well-kept beard, which in the sources earned him the byname &#8220;the man with the beautiful beard&#8221;, and the heavy halberd known as the &#8220;Green Dragon Crescent Blade&#8221;.<\/p><p>He often wears armour and the green robe of a general; sometimes instead he holds a book, namely the annals <em>Chunqiu<\/em>, which emphasises his learning and his Confucian character.<\/p><p>In the temples Guan Yu often does not stand alone. At his sides typically appear his son or adopted son Guan Ping with the commander&#8217;s seal, and his loyal arms-bearer Zhou Cang with the halberd.<\/p><p>This group of three is an iconographic unit in its own right. The arrangement follows the pattern of a court and underlines Guan Yu&#8217;s rank as an imperial god.<\/p><p>Material culture is found far beyond the great <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A building dedicated to the worship of one or more deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">temples<\/span>. Household altars, woodblock prints for the New Year festival, amulets and business shrines spread his image into everyday life.<\/p><p>The reliability of the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The study of pictorial content and its meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">iconography<\/span> has a practical reason: it made the god immediately identifiable for a largely illiterate population over centuries, regardless of region and social class.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp08e2bd8 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cp08e2bd8\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp5c21acd elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cp5c21acd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Guan Yu in Daoism and Buddhism<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp8da37e8 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cp8da37e8\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp1463288 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cp1463288\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The institutional religions of China have each integrated Guan Yu into their own systems without this displacing the folk-religious <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of religious acts of veneration for a deity or holy figure.\" tabindex=\"0\">cult<\/span>. In <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Chinese religious and philosophical tradition oriented toward the Dao, the Way.\" tabindex=\"0\">Daoism<\/span> he received a fixed place in the celestial bureaucracy.<\/p><p>Daoist texts and <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A building dedicated to the worship of one or more deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">temples<\/span> list him with high titles; he is regarded, among other things, as a subduer of <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A spiritual being to which harmful or ambivalent effect is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">demons<\/span> and as a <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A being venerated as divine within a religion.\" tabindex=\"0\">deity<\/span> who oversees oaths and punishes injustice.<\/p><p>A widespread <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An edifying narrative, usually about the lives of saints.\" tabindex=\"0\">legend<\/span> tells how the Daoist master Zhang Daoling called on the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An incorporeal being to which an effect in the world is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">spirit<\/span> of Guan Yu for help in subduing a <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A spiritual being to which a harmful or ambivalent effect is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">demon<\/span>, which mythically grounds his admission into the Daoist tradition.<\/p><p>In Buddhism Guan Yu is venerated as <em>qielan pusa<\/em>, as a protective deity who guards monastery grounds and community.<\/p><p>The <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An edifying narrative, usually about the lives of saints.\" tabindex=\"0\">legend<\/span> attached to this places his conversion at Mount Yuquan: his restless <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An incorporeal being to which an effect in the world is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">spirit<\/span> is said to have met a Buddhist master there who instructed him about the law of <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"In Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, the law of cause and effect of action: every deed acts back upon subsequent existences.\" tabindex=\"0\">karma<\/span>, whereupon Guan Yu committed himself to the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"In the Indian religions, the teaching and the right order of action.\" tabindex=\"0\">Dharma<\/span> and became a protector of the teaching.<\/p><p>In many Chinese monasteries his figure therefore stands as a guardian in a prominent place.<\/p><p>This multiple affiliation is instructive for religious studies. It shows that Chinese religiosity does not think in sharply separated denominations, but that the same powerful figure can be claimed and interpreted by different traditions.<\/p><p>Guan Yu is not a special case in this, but a particularly clear example, because in him state Confucianism, the Daoist <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of the gods of a religion or culture.\" tabindex=\"0\">pantheon<\/span>, Buddhist monastic protection and folk-religious veneration converge in a single person. Scholarship speaks here of a shared <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A sign that stands in place of an idea or meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">symbol<\/span> that could become so enduring and widespread precisely through its openness to interpretation.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-36dd7469 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"36dd7469\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-13760ab4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"13760ab4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Further links<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-28c87796 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"28c87796\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5d6538df elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5d6538df\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/zhong-kui\/\">Zhong Kui, a related Chinese protective god<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/jade-emperor\/\">Yuhuang, the celestial ruler set above him<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"\/en\/mazu\/\">Mazu, a related Chinese folk deity<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/china\/\">China, pantheon overview<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/high-deities\/\">High deities, sub-category<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/gods\/\">Gods, class overview<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-grl4kl40 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"grl4kl40\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bzsbfrmh elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"bzsbfrmh\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Sources and literature<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2c13224a e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"2c13224a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0eymh9ub elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0eymh9ub\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<footer class=\"iwg-literatur\" data-nosnippet=\"true\"><ul><li><span data-nosnippet>ter Haar, Barend J.: <em>Guan Yu. The Religious Afterlife of a Failed Hero<\/em>. Oxford 2017 (standard work).<\/span><\/li><li><span data-nosnippet>Yang, Lihui \/ An, Deming: <em>Handbook of Chinese Mythology<\/em>. Santa Barbara 2005.<\/span><\/li><li>Luo, Guanzhong: <em>Sange Yanyi<\/em> (Romance of the Three Kingdoms, numerous translations).<\/li><li>Sangguozhi (3rd c. chronological source).<\/li><li>Walde, Christine (ed.): <em>Der Neue Pauly<\/em> (entry &#8220;Guan Yu&#8221;).<\/li><\/ul><\/footer>\n<p class=\"iwg-bib-more\"><span data-nosnippet>Further standard works in the <a href=\"\/en\/literature\/\">literature index<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-70278ac e-con-boxed e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"70278ac\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-18984c2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"18984c2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2>Frequently Asked Questions about Guan Yu<\/h2><div class=\"iwg-faq-q\"><h3>Who was Guan Yu and how did he become a god?<\/h3><p>Guan Yu was a historical general who lived in the 2nd and early 3rd century during the period of the Three Kingdoms in China and was executed in 220. He became famous for his proverbial loyalty, bravery and integrity, above all through the classic novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms.<\/p><p>Over the centuries the memory of him turned into religious veneration: he was deified and received titles from several emperors, up to the rank of a god.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"iwg-faq-q\"><h3>What role does Guan Yu, also called Guandi, play today?<\/h3><p>As the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A being venerated as divine within a religion.\" tabindex=\"0\">deity<\/span> Guandi or Guangong, Guan Yu is still widely venerated today. He is regarded as the god of loyalty and justice and is invoked at the same time as a god of war and as a patron of merchants and businesses, since honesty is regarded as the foundation of trade.<\/p><p>His image is found in temples, shops, restaurants and even among the police and in criminal brotherhoods, both of which appeal to his code of honour. Guan Yu is also venerated in <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Chinese religious and philosophical tradition oriented toward the Dao, the Way.\" tabindex=\"0\">Daoism<\/span>, in Buddhism and in Confucianism.<\/p><\/div><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Who was Guan Yu and how did he become a god?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Guan Yu was a historical general who lived in the 2nd and early 3rd century during the period of the Three Kingdoms in China and was executed in 220. He became famous for his proverbial loyalty, bravery and integrity, above all through the classic novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. 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With red cheeks, a long black beard [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5365,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"Guan Yu","_yoast_wpseo_title":"Guan Yu, God of Loyalty and War","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Guan Yu, god of loyalty and war. 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