The question first arose when I was asked how the gods of China differed from the gods of Greece, Rome, and the deities of the Fertile Crescent. I was then intrigued by the thought generated by the book review on Daily Life of Greek Gods. In Greece they had working-gods, responsible citizen-gods, thinking-gods who were never oppressive or moody. They protected the city-state and were constantly consulted but never governed since men made all the decisions. As you know the Chinese gods have all the attributes of humans and are moody, angry, weak or strong, easily persuaded and, despite all of these characteristics, the Chinese gods are still regarded as having the right to control nature for better or for worse but at the same time they leave men to make their own decisions. The gods will give advice and, if sought, protection - provided by their armies of tamed demonic soldiers. If men decide to act of their own volition or against the advice of the gods then the gods simply let them be and on their own heads be it. I have always thought that the Chinese religious pattern of celestial control was inconsistent with the Chinese terrestrial pattern of ruling - ruling with a fairly heavy hand and not much latitude. This, even though we tend to parrot the concept that the celestial government is a direct parallel to and a copy of the terrestrial government. The bureaucracy is a copy but the methodology differs in a number of ways. I have often thought that I should sit down and try and write this out in a more coherent way but have never got round to it.


Altars in Daoist and Buddhist temples contain altars dedicated to natural features and forces, to national and local heroes, to warriors and scholars, many of which contain statues. These include Daoist and Buddhist abbots, sorcerers of renown, officials and ordinary people, natural phenomena like mountains, trees, rivers, rocks, and even harbours. Paludan notes that recent research [sic] has found 263 new gods were created under the Tang and Song in Fujian province alone.

I can see the opening describing how gods are ageless, once old they remain old and the youngsters remain unchanged for all time. What does make the mind boggle a bit is the thought of the Gods at work. They only have the Lunar New Year off, and a tea-party once every three thousand years when the Queen Mother spoils them with her peaches and elixirs. The rest of the time they slave away at their bureaucratic mill-stones - keeping an eye on his parish is not too too arduous for the Earth God, and even the occasional report he has to write when one of his parishioners dies will not stretch him. But spare a thought, first for the City God, with hundreds of Earth Gods reporting to him, and then for the Judges and employees in the Underworld where millions of customers pour through each year. The size of the bureaucratic staff leaves one speechless. Worst of all is poor old Mother Meng. She has to provide the bowl of mind-numbing soup for each and every soul that passes through, and with China's present population she must have to deal with tens of thousands each day...and she, in all temples, is portrayed working alone, the others at least do have staff to assist them.

Then there are the patron deities. Pity poor Kuan Kung - and even more so, Kuan Yin, both trying to satisfy even a small percentage of their supplicants, a task which will stretch them to breaking point..and probably beyond. So we can continue. I see a whole book here with the queues at medical centres waiting to see the various doctor-deities; the wealth gods being harassed just before race days and literature gods in agony having been pressured by hopeful students for weeks before exams. Tangential to this, also imagine what the medical deities must have to face every day from their Chinese patients - loathsome diseases, effusions of blood, pestilential fevers, and even feral melancholy [pace : Robert Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy]

We can write racy paragraphs about Ji Gong and his weaknesses; we can describe the Dragon Kings problems over weather forecasting and providing just sufficient rain to satisfy one and all despite global warming. The themes can be endless.


The Chinese are quite ambivalent in their appreciation of the workload of their gods. Devotees have no compunction about relating minor problems in great detail during their supplicatory approach, having of course first offered incense and oil money and had the temple bell or gong sounded to alert [or wake] the god to their presence. On the other hand they also realize just how hard pressed the gods are and, in folk tales, they make no bones about taking advantage of the gods’ preoccupations.

Imagine, if you will, the regular and unchanging routine of the goddess of maternity and childbirth. Supplicants range from the newly married to those who have not yet been fortunate enough to have a child despite years of marriage, to both mothers-in-law and potential grandmothers who are seeking a grandson and NOT a granddaughter. Mothers who have borne daughter after daughter tended to have been the saddest supplicants. They know only too well that should they fail to produce a son then they may suffer the minor indignity of the husband taking a concubine or at worst the major indignity of being divorced. As the family succession is so vital the altar to the maternity goddess is rarely unattended. However, each maternity goddess does have help in the form of maids and assistants who keep records, act as wet-nurses, teach infants the simple things such as walking and simple hygiene, they also potty train and care for sick children. The one or two male attendants assist by weighing out the correct proportion of flesh, bone and tissue for each babe before it is born and are portrayed on altars holding their scales. In northern China the goddess of childbirth is accompanied on altars by two other goodesses, one whose responsibility it is to prevent or moderate the usual childish complaints such as measles and whooping cough. The other is responsible for the care of eyes, a major problem in the dry dusty mountains and plains of the northern provinces. Such goddesses have to be good listeners, as indeed do all gods and goddesses - but imagine if you will the sheer ennui of day in and day out having the same plea whispered or silently passed by devotees.

Jenny wrote : If you feel sorry for the Chinese gods, spare a thought for GOD. He has very little help, and he has to deal with all supplications from every Christian, and even from those nominally Christian, who are only too ready to call on his name in times of distress. I know that he has Jesus to help, and a few angels, but he is pretty much on his own!! He must encourage the RCs, with their pantheon of saints, as they possibly act as office staff to filter out the real rubbish and impossibilities. Yet looking not just at the gods themselves, but also at the work load expected of them, in other words slightly turning the emphasis, would be an interesting exercise, but then one has to sit back and evaluate what you have achieved from viewing it in that light.The tone of approach would also have to be different. In fact it would be quite interesting when visiting temples in China, to find a way of asking, without seeming too intrusive, what people are praying for.

There is also the epic role of St. Peter at the Pearly Gates where he meets and greets every human immediately after he dies...every human!

Some of the gods whose very existence provides the essentials of life, the God of the Sun and the Goddess of the Moon appear at first glance to have no specific role for devotees to be anxious about. They are just there and life for them seems to be a doddle. However, the Lord of the Yang [the God of the Sun] and the Lady of the Yin [the Moon Goddess] control the light and dark, and the hot and cold weather. Only occasionally are they worshipped separately when one or other image stands alone on an altar. They are also prayed to for harmony in the home. Both deities are impartial shining on all equally, both on the good and the evil, and being stellar deities one of their major tasks is to protect mankind from evil influences. They are often thwarted by clouds and rain which have to be countered by the Heavenly Dog which is thought to consume them. In northern and western China devotees of the God of the Sun faced south when worshipping him, often for the well-being of their eyes, in particular to make them sparkling, and the Goddess of the Moon for curing sick young children.