The founder of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) later gave him the higher title of “(heavenly) emperor.” Emperor Huizong of Song, a bumbling ruler but a devoted Taoist, was the first ruler to make Guan Yu a “deity” in the official Taoist canon. Despite his posthumous “Emperor Guan” moniker, he also never staked a claim to royalty, meaning his status in life was never that of contemporaries Cao Cao, Sun Quan, or his liege and sworn brother Liu Bei.Ĭonsequently, Guan Yu’s cult grew only slowly through the Tang dynasty period (618-907), but his status reached new heights during the Song dynasty (960-1279). Although a competent military general and tenacious fighter, Guan Yu could be coldly arrogant, and he was hardly a master strategist like his comrade Zhuge Liang. To those familiar with the history of China’s Three Kingdoms period (220-280 AD), these honors might seem perplexing. 13 - he’s planted himself in Yuncheng to manage the celebrations there.įew historical personages are as venerated in the Chinese-speaking world as Guan Yu, who counts Guan Laoye (Grandpa Guan), Guan Gong (Duke Guan), and Guan Di (Emperor Guan), among his litany of officially bestowed titles. Yet with the deity’s birthday fast approaching - by tradition, Guan Yu’s birth is celebrated on the 24th day of the sixth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, which this year falls on Aug. Since ascending to his current position in 2004, Wei’s spent much of his time traveling between the thousands of temples dedicated to Guan Yu across China and around the world, guiding restoration work, organizing exhibitions, and overseeing temple rites. Positive energy is an asset in this line of work. “Following in the footsteps of (animated hits) ‘ Monkey King: Hero is Back’ and ‘ Ne Zha,’ we were confident the film would be a smash hit,” Wei tells me from his office at the institute’s headquarters in Yuncheng, also Guan Yu’s hometown. 11 on the Chinese mainland, was quickly lost in the shuffle. The film, which was produced in collaboration with the well-known animator Cai Zhizhong and released Jan. Going into 2020, the 57-year-old director of the Haizhou Guandi Temple Conservation Institute in the northern city of Yuncheng had spent the better part of three years and 12 million yuan ($1.72 million) on “God of War Guan Gong.” The animated film was to be a 1,860th birthday present of sorts to his temple’s deity, the famed warrior Guan Yu. Wei Long’s year has not gone according to plan.
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