by Lian Slayford-Wei

Created on: June 09, 2010

The History of the Cult of the Heavenly Kings of West Hunan, 1715 - 1996

During the Qing Dynasty and the 20th century in Hunan, the cult of the Three Kings, or the White Emperor Heavenly Kings (Baidi tianwang), could not be ignored. No other divinities could match their popularity at the time; their shrines were erected throughout the region and were worshipped by many of the different ethnic groups there.

Indeed, this cult bridged the distance between the different ethnicities Villages and zhai (Miao hamlets) lacking their own shrines sought palanquin visits by the Kings' images. The Maio would establish temporary shrines if they were far from home even signs were erected to riders and sedan passengers on the roads to alight and walk, out of respect for the Kings.

“In times of violent conflict, Miao and Han would bring the Kings' images, banners, or vestments into battle against each other. In peaceful times, disputants from all groups settled quarrels with oaths sworn in the presence of the Kings; they would be less likely to violate such oaths, it was reported, than the magistrate's judgments. So, to ease the burden of court cases in this remote area with its many in-migrants and conflicts over land, officialdom tolerated the shrines and their attendants, the paralegal ritualists who officiated over a sort of divine high court, it’s very this-worldly decisions sanctified by blood oaths before the Heavenly Kings”.

The cult of the Heavenly Kings is an interesting matter for scholars for its juridical functions and its ethnic mix of worshippers. This has lead to scholars asking some unusual questions – ‘Were its powers and political roles unusual? How could its gods attract such diverse groups? Did these gods possess the same mythic meanings for all believers? How did the myths develop and serve the believers?’

Religion has always been an important aspect of Chinese life – gods, both born immortal and born mortal, were prayed to and worshipped and despite being theological, they played important roles in politics, even in the 20th century. For example, during the Republic, “irrigation networks in parts of North China formed according to a hierarchy of cult relations”. In addition to this, the government has been emphasising these cults and gods in order to promote local heritage and ethnic cultures.

It is not entirely clear as to when the Cult of the Heavenly Kings actually appeared in Hunan, but it did

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