Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Among the panoply of predominantly male door gods, the most common are
warriors from Chinese folklore while legendary members of the traditional mandar-
in class are also featured. If their origins appear too prosaic, they know that the
holy door-keeping profession is also graced by the presence of celebrated eunuchs
and youthful virgins.
Door gods of the same kind generally stand sentinel in pairs and some of the
most famous partnerships are introduced below. Sometimes one can tell the kind
of deity that's worshipped inside a temple or the religious faith of a house owner
just by looking at the door gods they've chosen.
Taoist temples and homes are usually guarded by the likenesses of two Tang
dynasty generals, Qin Shubao and Yuchi Gong. Typically, one of them is fair-faced
while the other has a dark appearance, yet both share a penchant for long beards
and wield weapons. They are also very popular door gods for city gates and ances-
tral halls.
Buddhist deities Skanda (Wei Tuo) and Sangharama (Jia Lan) are the most com-
monly seen door gods at Buddhist temples, and they are sometimes found at
Taoist temples, too. Skanda is portrayed as a young, beardless military general
while the localisation of Sangharama has seen him metamorphose into Guandi.
Occasionally, Buddhist temples are protected by Generals Heng and Ha, a fierce
door god double act known for their unorthodox ways to vitiate an assailant. With a
sullen pout and snort, bile-faced General Hang fires blazing rays from his nose.
Similarly, when General Ha opens his menacing jaws, a blast of amber gas is
thundered to show who's boss. These mean tricks are used to rob an enemy of
their soul.
If a temple is dedicated to a high-ranking deity (for example, Baosheng Dadi or
the City God), or one who was previously an emperor or an empress, the door gods
would be palace maids or even eunuchs. Images of the latter are not noted for any
facial hair, of course, but they would sport a dust brush and long fingernails (hint-
ing at a life of little toil). At Tainan's Wufei Temple, which honours five Ming dynasty
concubines, the door gods are played by palace maids and their emasculated
counterparts.
Constantly battered by the elements, door gods have to be periodically restored
and, in some cases, completely replaced when the weight of battle scars forces
them into retirement. Most door gods that are on duty in Taiwan today were
painted after the 1960s, but older ones do exist, and they may well have been
watching you all along.
