Jade Emperor facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jade Emperor |
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Jade Emperor in a Ming Dynasty ink and color painting on silk, 16th century
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| Chinese | 玉皇 | ||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | Jade Emperor | ||||||||||||
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| Second alternative Chinese name | |||||||||||||
| Chinese | 天公 | ||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | Heavenly Grandfather | ||||||||||||
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| Third alternative Chinese name | |||||||||||||
| Chinese | 玉皇大帝 | ||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | August Emperor of Jade | ||||||||||||
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The Jade Emperor (pronounced Yoo Hwahng) is a very important god in Chinese culture. He is a main figure in Chinese folk religion and Chinese mythology. People also call him Yudi (pronounced Yoo Dee).
In Taoism, a Chinese philosophy, he helps Yuanshi Tianzun. Yuanshi Tianzun is one of the Three Pure Ones, who are like the first gods of the Tao. The Jade Emperor is also sometimes linked to Śakra in Chinese Buddhism. He is also sometimes connected to Yu the Great, a hero from Chinese myths.
The Jade Emperor has many names. Some people call him the Heavenly Grandfather (天公, Tiāngōng). This name means "Heavenly Duke" and is used by everyday people. Other names include the Jade Lord, the Highest Emperor, and the Great Emperor of Jade (玉皇大帝, Yu Huang Dadi).
Contents
Stories of the Jade Emperor
Many exciting stories in Chinese mythology feature the Jade Emperor. He is also a traditional figure for the White Lotus secret society.
How the Jade Emperor Began
It is said that the Jade Emperor was once a prince. He was the prince of a kingdom called Pure Felicity and Majestic Heavenly Lights and Ornaments. When he was born, a wonderful light filled the whole kingdom.
As a young prince, he was very kind, smart, and wise. He spent his childhood helping people who needed it most. This included the poor, the sick, and those who were alone. He was respectful and kind to everyone, both people and animals.
After his father passed away, he became king. He made sure everyone in his kingdom was happy and peaceful. Then, he decided to leave his throne to focus on spiritual growth. He went to a place called the Bright and Fragrant Cliff to practice Tao.
He spent a very long time, about 327 million years, practicing and learning. After all this time, he became the Jade Emperor.
The Jade Emperor's Battle Against Evil
One myth tells how the Jade Emperor became the ruler of all gods in heaven. This story shows his great power.
Long ago, Earth was a tough place to live. Monsters roamed, and there were not many gods to protect people. Also, powerful demons were fighting against the gods in heaven. The Jade Emperor was an ordinary god who helped people on Earth. He was sad that his powers could only do so much. So, he went to a mountain cave to grow his spiritual power. He went through 3,200 difficult tests, each lasting about 3 million years.
At the same time, a very strong evil being wanted to take over heaven. This evil being also practiced to gain power. It went through 3,000 tests, each lasting about 3 million years. After its last test, it felt unbeatable. It gathered an army of demons to attack heaven.
The gods knew about the danger and got ready for war. But the evil demon was too strong and defeated all of them.
The Jade Emperor finished his spiritual journey during this war. As he was making the Earth better for humans and fighting monsters, he saw a dark glow from heaven. He knew something was wrong. He went up to heaven and saw that the evil being was too powerful for the other gods. He challenged the evil being to a fight. Mountains shook, and rivers and seas crashed. Because of his deeper wisdom and kindness, the Jade Emperor won the battle. After the evil being was defeated, its demon army scattered.
Because of his good and kind actions, the gods, other spirits, and humans all declared the Jade Emperor the supreme ruler of everything.
How Humans Were Created
According to one Chinese creation myth, the world began from nothingness. The Jade Emperor was the leader of the gods, but he did not create the world itself.
In another creation story, the Jade Emperor made the first humans from clay. He left them in the sun to dry. But then it rained, and some of the clay figures got wet and changed shape. This is why humans sometimes have sickness or physical differences. Another common Chinese myth says that humans were once tiny creatures on the body of Pangu, a giant.
There is also a myth where the goddess Nüwa made humans from the mud of the Yellow River. She made some by hand, and they became the richer people. When she got tired, she dipped her scarf in the mud and swung it around. The drops that fell became the poorer humans.
The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl
This is a very popular story across Asia. The Jade Emperor had a daughter named Zhinü (pronounced Jir-noo), who was a weaver girl. She often wove colorful clouds in heaven. In some versions, she is a goddess who weaves the Silver River (which we call the Milky Way). This river gives light to heaven and Earth.
One day, Zhinü came down to Earth to bathe, using a special magic robe. A poor cowherd named Niu Lang (pronounced Nee-oh Lahng) saw her. He fell in love and stole her magic robe, so she could not fly back to heaven. When Zhinü came out of the water, Niu Lang took her to his home.
When the Jade Emperor found out, he was very angry. But he could not do anything because his daughter had fallen in love and married the cowherd. After some time, Zhinü missed her father. She found her magic robe, which her husband had hidden. She decided to visit her father in Heaven.
But once she returned, the Jade Emperor created a huge river across the sky (the Milky Way). Zhinü could not cross it to get back to her husband. The Emperor felt sorry for the young lovers. So, he allowed them to meet once a year. This happens on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, on a bridge over the river.
This story is linked to stars in the night sky. Zhinü is the star Vega, and Niu Lang is the star Altair. On the seventh day of the seventh lunar month (around August), the Milky Way looks dimmer. This makes it seem like the two lovers can finally meet.
This day is a holiday in China called Qixi Festival. It is a day for young lovers, much like Valentine's Day in Western countries. It is also celebrated in Japan (as Tanabata), Korea (as Chilseok), and Vietnam (as Thất Tịch). If it rains on this day in Vietnam, people say it is Zhinü's happy tears.
The Chinese Zodiac Animals
There are different stories about how the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac were chosen. In one story, the Jade Emperor had ruled heaven and Earth for many years. But he had never actually visited Earth himself. He was curious about what the animals looked like. So, he asked all the animals to visit him in heaven.
The Cat was considered the most handsome animal. He asked his friend, the Rat, to wake him up on the day they were to go to Heaven so he would not oversleep. However, the Rat was worried he would look bad next to the Cat. So, the Rat did not wake the Cat. Because of this, the Cat missed the meeting and was replaced by the Pig.
The Jade Emperor was very happy with the animals. He decided to name each year after one of them. When the Cat found out what happened, he was furious with the Rat. This is why, according to the story, cats and rats are enemies to this day. The Cat is sometimes seen as a domesticated Tiger or leopard in the Chinese Zodiac.
However, the Cat does have a place in the Vietnamese zodiac, where it replaces the Rabbit.
The Four Dragons
Once, a terrible drought spread across the land. Four dragons from the sea saw how much the people were suffering. They went to the Jade Emperor in the Heavenly Palace to ask him to send rain. He was very busy ruling heaven, Earth, and the sea. He agreed to send rain the next day if they returned to the sea. But soon after the dragons left, he forgot his promise.
After ten days, the rain still did not come, and people began to die. The dragons could not just watch. So, they decided to gather huge amounts of water from the sea with their own bodies. They brought the rain themselves. The people were very thankful and prayed their thanks to the Jade Emperor.
The Jade Emperor soon found out what the dragons had done. He was angry that they had acted without his permission. He ordered the Mountain God to trap the four dragons. But from each mountain that trapped a dragon, a new river sprang forth. From the Yellow Dragon came the Yellow River. From the Long Dragon came the Yangtze River. From the Black Dragon came the Amur River. And from the Pearl Dragon came the Pearl River. These rivers flowed from west to east and north to south. The dragons made sure that the people of China would always have water.
Who Came Before and After the Jade Emperor?
The Jade Emperor was originally the helper of the Divine Master of the Heavenly Origin, Yuanshi Tianzun. Yuanshi Tianzun is believed to be the first and eternal creator of Heaven and Earth. He chose the Jade Emperor to be his successor.
The Jade Emperor will eventually be replaced by the Heavenly Master of the Dawn of Jade of the Golden Door.
In some folk writings from 1925 and 1972, it was said that Guan Yu became the 18th Jade Emperor around 1840 AD. However, some people do not agree with this. So, the Jade Emperor and Guan Yu are often worshipped separately. In the Tienti teaching, the current Jade Emperor has had 55 rulers before him. But many traditional Taoists do not believe these claims.
Worship and Festivals
The Jade Emperor's Birthday (天公誕) is celebrated on the ninth day of the first lunar month. On this day, Taoist temples hold a special ceremony for him. It is called the Jade Emperor ritual (拜天公, meaning "heaven worship"). During this ritual, priests and people bow down, burn incense, and offer food.
On the morning of his birthday, Chinese, Taiwanese, and some Malaysian and Singaporean Chinese who follow Buddhism, Taoism, or other traditional Chinese religions set up an altar. This altar has three levels. The top level has offerings like vegetables, noodles, fruits, cakes, and special rice balls. The two lower levels have meat offerings and wines for other gods below the Jade Emperor. Families then kneel three times and bow nine times to show respect and wish him a long life.
In Penang, Malaysia, a main place for the Jade Emperor's Birthday celebrations is Thni Kong Tnua. This temple was built in 1869. It is located at the foot of Penang Hill near George Town. The Chew Jetty in George Town is another important place for these celebrations. The festivities there were even shown in a 2014 Malaysian film called The Journey.
Yuk Wong Kung Tin (玉皇宮殿), also known as Yuk Wong Po Tin (玉皇寶殿), is a temple in A Kung Ngam, Hong Kong. It is dedicated to the Jade Emperor. In the mid-1800s, people from Huizhou and Chaozhou mined stones in the area. They set up a small shrine to worship Yuk Wong. In the early 1900s, this shrine became a small temple. It has been renovated many times, most recently in 1992.
Early Catholic missionaries in China wrote about the Jade Emperor. They noted that stories about Jesus and the Jade Emperor had some similarities. For example, both involve a god becoming a human. However, they called the worship of the Jade Emperor "superstitious." They compared these "legends" to what they believed was a strong historical record of Jesus's life.
In 2005, about 2% of people practicing Chinese folk religion believed in the Jade Emperor.
Places Named After Him
A crater on Saturn's moon Rhea is named after the Jade Emperor. It was discovered by the Voyager 2 spacecraft.
See also
- Tian
- Shangdi
- Yuanching Temple, Taiwan
- Fengshan Tiangong Temple, Taiwan
- Jade Emperor Pagoda, Vietnam
- Yuk Wong Kung Tin, Hong Kong
- Thni Kong Tnua, Malaysia
- Chinese folk religion
Similar Gods in Other Asian Cultures
- Amenominakanushi, the god in Japanese mythology
- Haneullim, the god in Korean mythology
- Indra, the god in Hindu beliefs
- Śakra, the god in Zen Buddhism
- Tengri, the god in Turko-Mongolian beliefs
- Thagyamin, the god in Burmese Buddhist beliefs, similar to Śakra
- Yuanshi Tianzun, a god in Taoism
- Ông Trời, the god in Vietnamese mythology
