Fengdu Dadi
Fengdu Dadi (Chinese: 酆都大帝; pinyin: Fēngdū Dàdì), also known as the Great Emperor of Fengdu, the Great Emperor of Beiyin (北陰大帝), or Beidi (北帝), is a supreme deity in Daoist mythology and Chinese folk religion. He is revered as the supreme ruler of the Underworld and the overlord of all ghosts and spirits. His mythological capital is situated at Mount Luofeng (羅酆山), a conceptual realm in the extreme north, which later became conflated with the real-world county of Fengdu Ghost City in Sichuan, giving rise to the famous "Ghost City" (鬼城) of Fengdu.[1]
Like other Underworld deities such as the Great Emperor of Dongyue, Kṣitigarbha (Dizang), and Yanluo Wang, Fengdu Dadi rules the Underworld. However, he represents the Daoist administrative view of the afterlife.
Origins
The origins of Fengdu Dadi are associated with early Daoist beliefs about Mount Luofeng (羅酆山). The Eastern Jin dynasty text Records of the Supreme Perfected and Hosts of Immortals of the Primordial Beginning (元始上真眾仙記), attributed to Ge Hong, describes the Underworld as being ruled by the Five Directional Ghost Emperors (五方鬼帝). The Northern Ghost Emperors, Zhang Heng (張衡) and Yang Yun (楊雲), ruled from Mount Luofeng.[2]
During the Southern Dynasties, the Shangqing (Supreme Clarity) school of Daoism developed a more detailed description of Mount Luofeng and its ruler. The scholar and alchemist Tao Hongjing described the Underworld in the Zhen'gao (真誥; Declarations of the Perfected). In the Zhen'gao, Mount Luofeng is described as having six outer palaces and six inner palaces, collectively called the Six Heavens (六天). Tao identified Fengdu Dadi, called Beiyin Dadi in the text, as the ruler of the Underworld. Historical figures were also included among its officials. According to the text, King Wen of Zhou and Duke Huan of Qi served as officials under Fengdu Dadi.[3][2]
In the Zhenling Weiye Tu (真靈位業圖), Tao Hongjing placed the Great Emperor of Beiyin Fengdu at the center of the seventh and lowest rank of the Daoist celestial hierarchy. He identified him as Yan Di Dating-shi (炎帝大庭氏), an incarnation of the legendary Yan Emperor. Tao also called him the "Ancestor of all ghosts and spirits under Heaven" (天下鬼神之宗) and stated that he ruled for 3,000 years before being succeeded by the next emperor.[2]
Mount Luofeng was described as a mythical mountain in the far north. By the Tang and Song dynasties, Fengdu Dadi became associated with Fengdu County in present-day Chongqing, formerly part of Sichuan. Daoist tradition regarded Mount Pingdu (平都山) in Fengdu County as a blessed land (福地). It was also associated with the Han dynasty alchemists Yin Changsheng (陰長生) and Wang Fangping (王方平), who were said to have attained immortality there.[1] In popular tradition, the surnames of the two immortals, Yin and Wang, were combined as Yin Wang (陰王), which was later understood as meaning the "King of the Underworld".[2][4]
The association of Fengdu County with the Underworld was also reinforced by the similarity between the names Luofeng and Fengdu. Temples associated with the Underworld, including the Palace of the Son of Heaven (天子殿), dedicated to Fengdu Dadi, were built on Mount Pingdu. Fengdu subsequently became known as the "Ghost City".[1][2]
See also
- Dongyue Dadi
- Kṣitigarbha
- Yanluo Wang
- Diyu (Chinese concept of Hell)
- Fengdu Ghost City
- Chinese folk religion
References
- 1 2 3 "酆都大帝 (Fengdu Dadi)". Dictionary of Taiwan Folklore Artifacts (in zh )). Taiwan Historica.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - 1 2 3 4 5 "酆都大帝 (Fengdu Dadi)" (in Chinese). Chung-Hwa Taoism Culture.
- ↑ "酆都大帝" [Emperor of Fengdu]. Chinese Taoist Association.
- ↑ "丰都名山景区_丰都县人民政府" [Famous Fengdu Mountain Scenic Area]. [www.cqfd.gov.cn](http://www.cqfd.gov.cn).