Zhang Wulang

Zhang Wulang (Chinese: 张五郎; pinyin: Zhāng Wǔláng), also known as Fantan Daodong Zhang Wulang (Chinese: 翻坛倒洞张五郎; pinyin: Fāntán Dǎodòng Zhāng Wǔláng) and the Inverted God (Chinese: 倒立神; pinyin: Dǎolì Shén), is a deity in Chinese folk religion associated with Meishan culture. He is regarded as the patron god of hunting and the tutelary founder of the Meishan sect (Chinese: 梅山教; pinyin: Meishan jiao). His worship is associated with central Hunan and later spread to other parts of southern China, including Yunnan, Guangxi, Chongqing, and Hubei.

Iconography

Zhang Wulang is commonly depicted in an inverted posture, performing a handstand with his feet raised. In Meishan cultural practices, traditional woodcarvers use grapevine wood (葡萄藤) to make statues of him. Although the inverted posture is his most recognizable depiction, some sculptures show him standing upright with one foot placed in front of the other. These versions typically depict him wearing a narrow-sleeved shirt, trousers, and boots, sometimes with one hand resting on his waist. Other depictions show Zhang Wulang holding a knife and a rooster, or with animal-like features.[1][2]

Origin

Accounts of Zhang Wulang's identity and origins vary among Meishan ritual traditions and scholarly studies. Traditions identify him variously as a Meishan hunter, the son-in-law of Taishang Laojun, a figure born from a pumpkin, a successor of Panhu or Chiyou, Zhang Shikui (张世魁), a prefect of Qingzhou, or a commander associated with the Five Routes of Changbing.[3]

Some traditions specifically associate Zhang Wulang with Panhu and Chiyou. The relationship between these figures and Zhang Wulang has been discussed in studies of Meishan religious traditions, including research into traditions that regard Zhang Wulang as a successor of Panhu or Chiyou.[3][4]

Another line of research connects Zhang Wulang with the Lushan (闾山) ritual tradition. Zhang Shihong proposed that Zhang Wulang was originally associated with Lushan ritual traditions, had studied magic under Jiulang (九郎), and was skilled at hunting tigers. According to this interpretation, traditions concerning Zhang Wulang circulated in areas including Fujian and Jiangxi before becoming associated with Meishan. Other accounts place his origins within Meishan traditions. The historical origins of Zhang Wulang therefore remain uncertain.[5][3]

In certain regional traditions, particularly in Western Sichuan, the patron deity of hunters, Zhang Wulang is linked to the celestial figures known as the Seven Sages of Meishan (梅山七圣)—the loyal sworn brothers and subordinates of the warrior god Erlang Shen.[6] Some regional Meishan traditions specifically identify Zhang Wulang as "Taiwei Zhang" (张太尉, "Commander Zhang"). In the classical novel Journey to the West, Taiwei Zhang is depicted as one of the four divine commanders (Kang, Zhang, Yao, and Li) who make up the core of the Meishan Brothers.[7]

Legends

Folk narratives give different accounts of Zhang Wulang's origins. One tradition describes him as a hunter who lived during the late Tang dynasty and traveled to Lushan (闾山 or 庐山) to study magic under a practitioner named Jiulang (九郎). He was associated with tiger hunting and later came from Jiangxi to the Meishan region, where he became a hunting deity.[5]

Another legend connects Zhang Wulang with Taishang Laojun (the Highest Elder Lord). According to this account, Zhang Wulang went to study under Taishang Laojun, who gave him a series of difficult tasks. Jiji (姬姬), the daughter of Taishang Laojun, helped Zhang Wulang complete the tasks and fell in love with him. After the two escaped, Jiji used magic to protect Zhang Wulang from her father and eventually enchanted him into the "pear tree" position, or handstand, so that Taishang Laojun could not find him. The story is associated with Zhang Wulang's title Daoli Shen (倒立神, "Inverted God").[8]

Different Meishan ritual traditions preserve other versions of Zhang Wulang's legend. One account says that he accidentally reattached his severed head upside down after performing a somersault. Other versions attribute his inverted posture to his escape from a giant snake, a spell cast by Jiji after challenging him to walk upside down, or a fall from a cliff while fleeing a tiger. These accounts are recorded as different traditions rather than as a single canonical version of the legend.[9]

In Yao religious traditions, the Meishan region is regarded as an ancestral homeland. Some traditions hold that after death, a person's soul returns to the "Caves of Meishan" (梅山洞) to reunite with the ancestors. Zhang Wulang is associated with this journey and is believed to guide or protect the soul on its way to Meishan.[5]

Rituals

In Meishan ritual traditions, Zhang Wulang is associated with exorcism, protection, and hunting. He is invoked under the title Fantan Daodong Zhang Wulang (翻坛倒洞张五郎). Sources on Meishan ritual traditions also record invocations and spells addressed to Zhang Wulang.[10][5] His statues are traditionally worshipped, and sacrifices are offered to him before hunting and other important activities. Meishan ritual practices also include healing and exorcistic rites, including rituals for driving away evil spirits, recovering souls, stopping bleeding, and treating snake-related afflictions.[11]

Interpretations

Dieter Jüdt and Gong Longyu describe Zhang Wulang as a "boundary-crosser" and trickster figure. They discuss his inverted posture in relation to the concept of the "inverted world", in which established social and cultural boundaries are temporarily reversed.[8]

Modern cultural landmarks

At the Chinese Meishan Culture Park (中国梅山文化园) in Xianxi Town, Anhua County, a 16.8-meter-tall stone statue of Zhang Wulang was erected. The statue depicts him in his characteristic inverted handstand position.[12]

References

  1. ↑ "木雕張五郎像" [Wooden Statue of Zhang Wulang]. National Cultural Memory Bank (國家文化記憶庫) (in Chinese). Ministry of Culture (Taiwan). Retrieved 25 July 2026.
  2. ↑ "远古的呼唤——观湖南博物院梅山文化圈雕塑与信仰展" [Call of the Ancient Times - Viewing the Meishan Cultural Circle Sculpture and Belief Exhibition at the Hunan Museum]. Hunan Daily (in Chinese). 29 December 2023. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 Li, Huijun (2020). "梅山张五郎信仰再探讨——基于18—20世纪张五郎神像和发愿文的考察" [Further Discussion of the Zhang Wulang Cult in Meishan: Based on an Examination of Zhang Wulang Images and Votive Texts from the 18th to 20th Centuries]. 湖南人文科技学院学报 (in Chinese) (3).
  4. ↑ "关于张五郎的六种民间传说" [Six Folktales about Zhang Wulang]. 娄底新闻网 (in Chinese). 17 March 2017. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "1988—2012年梅山文化研究述略" [A Review of Research on Meishan Culture, 1988–2012]. 梅山文化研究中心 (in Chinese). Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  6. ↑ Li Qiao (李乔) (2000). 行业神崇拜: 中国民众造神运动硏究 [Industry God Worship: A Study of the Chinese Popular Deification Movement] (in Chinese). China Federation of Literary and Art Circles Publishing Corporation (中国文联出版社). p. 408. ISBN 978-7-5059-3570-9.
  7. ↑ "以前看一个资料，讲湘西一带的梅山术术士..." [Reading historical material on Meishan practitioners in Xiangxi...]. Sina News (in Chinese). 30 January 2026. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  8. 1 2 Jüdt, Dieter; Gong, Longyu (10 December 2019). "The Concept of Inversion in the Figure of Zhang Wulang". Jitter Magazin. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  9. ↑ Li, Kui (17 March 2017). "关于张五郎的六种民间传说" [Six Folk Legends of Zhang Wulang]. 娄底新闻网 (in Chinese). Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  10. ↑ Li, Kui. "张五郎身世传说及神像实物的异同比较" [Comparison of the Similarities and Differences in the Legends of Zhang Wulang and His Statues] (in Chinese). Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  11. ↑ "梅山文化" [Meishan Culture]. Yiyang Municipal People's Government (in Chinese). 10 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  12. ↑ Qian, Ye (12 June 2022). "湖南人霸蛮的性格里，有梅山的影子" [In the "Baman" Personality of Hunan People, There are Traces of Meishan]. Hunan Today (湖南日报) (in Chinese). Retrieved 11 August 2026.
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