City God's Birthday - 11th Day of the 5th Lunar Month: What Requests Does He Grant Most Effectively?

The City God, also known as Cheng Huang Ye, is one of the most widely worshipped deities in Chinese religious culture. He is one of the Eight Gods mentioned in the Confucian Rites of Zhou and is also revered in Chinese folk religion and Daoism as the guardian deity protecting a city and its walls.

The term Cheng Huang comes from the Book of Changes (also known as I Ching or Yijing): "The city walls crumble into the moat; do not use the army". Here, Cheng refers to the city walls, and Huang to the dry moat. In ancient times, walls and moats were built to protect the people inside from invaders. People believed that everything related to their safety was governed by a "deity" or spirit. Thus, the City God evolved into the guardian deity of the city in folk belief, also taking on the roles of an underworld administrator and judge.

For many believers, the City God is their protective deity. Whether they are praying for personal safety, family harmony, or seeking legal justice, people go to City God temples to worship and ask for his blessing. But what exactly does the City God oversee? What kind of wishes are most suitable to bring to him?

Click on video>>>https://www.youtube.com/shorts...

The Ranking System of the City God

Since the City God is a divine position, does it have different ranks? Indeed, it does. The worship of the City God started in the Zhou Dynasty. The Book of Rites mentions "Shui Yong" (Water and Moat) in the Eight Kinds of Sacrifices, explained as "Shui (Water) refers to the moat (Huang), Yong (Moat) refers to the city wall (Cheng)." At this stage, the City God did not have distinct ranks.

This system was formalized during the Ming Dynasty when Emperor Taizu (Zhu Yuanzhang), who held the City God in supreme reverence, ordered the imperial enfeoffment of City Gods into five ranks:
• First Rank: The Capital City God of Beijing, enfeoffed as a King (Wang Jue)
• Second Rank: City Gods of five strategic cities: Kaifeng, Linhao, Taiping, Hezhou, and Chuzhou, enfeoffed as Princes (Wang)
• Third Rank: City Gods of Prefectures, enfeoffed as Dukes of Majestic Efficacy (Weiling Gong)
• Fourth Rank: City Gods of Sub-prefectures, enfeoffed as Marquises of Spirit Protection (Lingyou Hou)
• Fifth Rank: City Gods of Counties, enfeoffed as Earls of Manifest Protection (Xianyou Bo)

Regions beneath the county tier were governed by the Tudi Gong.

What does the City God govern?
The City God holds sway over all matters – from career advancement and wealth to marriages and funerals, even impulsive acts born of momentary passion. He presides over both the mortal realm and the underworld, serving as guardian deity of the living and supreme judge of the departed. He governs the fates of souls in both realms, rewarding virtue, punishing vice, and decreeing life, death, fortune, and calamity. Ultimately, he ordains every aspect of human destiny: prosperity, status, and longevity, the three pillars of earthly blessings.

Click on video>>>https://www.youtube.com/shorts...

Who are the City God’s subordinates?
To handle all his duties, the City God commands a team of divine helpers. His subordinates include figures like the Civil and Military Judges, Department Heads of various bureaus, Generals Gan and Liu, Generals Xie and Fan, Generals Ox and Horse, Day and Night Patrol Deities, and Shackle and Chain Generals. The core of his administration is organised into specialised "Departments", though the number varies by temple – some have three, six, or even up to twenty-four departments. The most important is the Department of Yin and Yang, which serves as the City God’s chief administrator and oversees affairs spanning both the realms of the living and the dead.

Folk Customs for the City God
Every year on the 11th day of the fifth lunar month, the Cheng Huang Temple in Sungai Petani, Kedah, hosts the grand City God’s Inspection procession. This event attracts over a thousand devoted followers, who participate enthusiastically in the parade through the streets.

When making offerings to the City God, devotees prepare items such as assorted fruit, incense and candles, sweet pastries, three bowls of red glutinous rice balls (tangyuan), three cups of clear tea, five cups of wine, longevity noodles, steamed prosperity cakes (fagao), turtle-shaped red rice cakes (ang ku kueh), and spirit money – including "Longevity Gold," "Cut Gold," and the traditional "Four-Colored Spirit Money."

#万富 #继承传统