Dongshan is among them because it is different from other places and has a very special Guandi belief culture. Guandi belief not only took root here, but also spread to Fujian, Guangdong, Taiwan Province and even East Asia and other parts of the world. Today, there are nearly a thousand Fenling temples in the Guandi Temple in Dongshan.
So what's so special about Guandi's belief culture in Dongshan that Guandi's culture can be carried forward? Mainly in the following aspects:
First, the special title of Guandi.
For Guandi, other places are called "Guandi", "Guan Gong" and "Guan Sheng Di Jun", except Dongshan, which is called "Dizu". In other words, Dongshan people did not regard Guandi as a god, but as a person, a family member, an ancestor and an elder.
"The name is not correct, the words are not smooth", although the name is small, it can best explain the intimacy of the relationship between the two. Dongshan people call Guandi "the founder", and the intimacy with Guandi is far from comparable to other places. When Dongshan people were young, they regarded Guandi as their family, the most important member of the family and the most intelligent elder. In this way, the original unreachable and mysterious beliefs have become natural, true and cordial to Dongshan people, as if the emperor were around. Guandi is his ancestor, which makes Dongshan people feel safe. Therefore, Dongshan people call Guandi "Emperor Zu" and nothing else.
Second, the special historical origin.
Dongshan people are not descendants of Guandi. Why should Guandi be called "ancestor"? Is it because Dongshan people deliberately close the relationship with Guandiye, they are just talking, and it can't be true?
Don't! Dongshan people call Guandi "ancestor", which is not exaggerated, but appropriate. This is because Emperor Guan and Dongshan people have a special historical origin.
In the twenty years of Hongwu in Ming Dynasty, Zhou De and Xiahou Jiang brought Guandi incense and carved it as a sacrifice to appease the soldiers. Since then, Guandi has blessed Dongshan. Later, Qi Jiguang defended the enemy, Zheng Chenggong recovered Taiwan Province Province, and Shi Lang unified Taiwan Province Province, all of which were embedded with the fragrance of Dongshan Guandi.
In the early Qing Dynasty, Dongshan people experienced relocation and relocation because they actively resisted the Qing Dynasty and belonged to military families. The Qing government refused to naturalize Dongshan people. Without household registration, Dongshan people can't take the imperial examination, can't buy a house, have heavy taxes and live in dire straits.
According to legend, Guandi had a dream for Chen Ruxian, the magistrate of Zhangpu (when Tongshan belonged to Zhangpu), and asked him to write to the court in the name of Guandi and naturalize Dongshan people. Since Guandi came forward, the Qing government dared not lose face, and finally agreed to set up a big family with Guan Yongmao, the descendant of Guan, as the head of the household, so that all Dongshan people could join in. As a result, Dongshan people have the household registration of Guan family and become the descendants of Guan Diye. Of course, they should call it Guan.
Third, the special pilgrimage ceremony.
For most faiths, pilgrimage is a long journey, and it is often necessary to travel across mountains and rivers. Dongshan people don't have to believe Guandi, because Guandi is around and at home.
Almost every household in Dongshan worships Guandi in the middle of the lobby. They make pilgrimages every morning and evening, "asking for instructions early and reporting later" to Guandi, asking Guandi to bless peace and harmony. Dongshan dialect is called "burning fire" There are incense burners and the holy grail on the table in front of the statue of Guan Di. Dongshan people often dare not make their own decisions. But to burn incense and report to Guandi, tell him what he thinks, and get Guandi's instructions through the Holy Grail. Especially when major events need to be made, Dongshan people have to personally go to the big temple to invite incense to draw lots, and ask Guan Di Ye to make a ruling, so that Guan Di Ye Can can follow his decision, and dare not violate it.
It should be said that this belief has benefited the people a lot, and it is particularly grounded. It can not only solve the mental confusion, but also solve the problems encountered in real life. Zu Di is like a wise elder around us. You can always ask him for advice, and he always takes pains to answer. This is a wonderful thing. While solving every problem, it is actually a "pilgrimage" process.
Of course, it can't be said that this is science, but it is a kind of belief and a kind of folk culture. But in this process, it will at least make us reduce our impulses, calm down and think, and leave more room for discussion, which is quite enlightening in reality.
Fourth, the special way of inheritance.
When Dongshan people get married and move to a new house, their mothers and uncles will send Guan Di's portrait and couplets, commonly known as "mother-uncle couplets", which will be hung in the middle of the lobby for the new family to worship. In Dongshan, the measure of a child's independence is not whether he is an adult, whether he is married and has children, but whether he can "worship Guan Di" independently. It is a unique way for Dongshan people to inherit Guandi's belief culture to ensure the independence of the new family by offering sacrifices to the "ancestor emperor" independently. In this way, once a child is born, it is passed on from mouth to mouth, and unconsciously he lives in a cultural atmosphere that believes in Guandi, and naturally he will regard Guandi as his ancestor. Guandi belief has been passed down from generation to generation.
Five, the bloodiness of special soldiers
In the early Ming Dynasty, there was a Tongshan Institute in Dongshan, where either soldiers or their families lived. The blood of soldiers naturally flowed from Dongshan. Lord Guandi is also a soldier. Dongshan people and Guandi are highly compatible in the characteristics of soldiers such as defending the country and defending the country. They naturally admire Guandi's "loyalty, courage, benevolence, courtesy and wisdom" and regard defending the country as an innate duty.
Therefore, Dongshan people have a strong blood that goes deep into the bone marrow and does not yield! Huang Daozhou led the "scholar carrying pole army" to fight against the Qing Dynasty and gave his life, while Xie Chen, Chen Shiqi and Lin Rirui were indomitable in the struggle against the peasant uprising. The people of Dongshan actively fought against the Qing Dynasty for a long time in the late Ming Dynasty. Especially in all previous anti-aggression wars, he persevered and won many wars, defeating seven invasions by Portugal, the Netherlands, Britain and Japan. The people of Dongshan can be invincible in the anti-aggression war, and Guan Di's spirit of "loyalty, courage and benevolence" is very important!
When doing good deeds, it is often more powerful to be encouraged by others. When someone looks on coldly when doing something bad, they often think twice. Guandi is a ubiquitous "person" in the eyes of Dongshan people. Believing in Guandi makes Dongshan people feel good and awe, and feel that they are holding their heads three feet high.
Today's Dongshan has long-term stability, simple folk customs, harmony and friendliness, and people have a sense of security and happiness when they are alive. All this is inseparable from the different cultures that the Emperor believes in!
20 19 10, myna Yu Dongshan
Special note: the copyright of Zu Emperor's Blessing Comics belongs to Dongshan Chituma Cultural Tourism Co., Ltd.