Houtu

THE EARTH ITSELF HAD NO RECORD. The corpus held Pangu, who becomes the world, and Nüwa, who repairs the sky, and not the deity of the land as such — the counterpart at the top of the hierarchy to Tudigong at the bottom of it. HER SEX CHANGED IN HISTORY AND THE RECORD SAYS SO: the Imperial God of Earth had a MALE form before the Tang and acquired a FEMALE one during Wu Zetian's reign, and because sky is yang and earth is yin most hold her female. She is authored female, which is the later and dominant form, with the earlier male form recorded here rather than erased.

Domains

• the earth
• all land

Relations

• assists: Jade EmperorNon-symmetric, written from this end only. DIRECTLY ATTESTED: Houtu is one of the Four Heavenly Ministers, four of the highest sky deities of Daoism, subordinate only to the Great Jade Emperor, who assist him in administering all phenomena of the universe.Reference treatment of the Four Heavenly Ministers and the Jade Emperor's subordinates: the Four Heavenly Ministers are four of the highest sky deities of Daoism, subordinate only to the Great Jade Emperor, and they assist him in administering all phenomena of the universe; Houtu is responsible for all things on earth and is listed as one of them, presiding over the duality of yin and yang, the beauty of all things and the splendour of mountains and rivers. The Imperial God of Earth had a MALE form before the Tang dynasty and acquired a FEMALE form during Wu Zetian's reign, and because Tian, sky, represents yang and Di, earth, represents yin, most people hold Houtu to be female. Wu Gang was a woodcutter who aspired to immortality but, through impatience and lack of dedication, was PUNISHED BY THE JADE EMPEROR, who sent him to the Moon Palace to fell a massive osmanthus tree that heals itself at every stroke; he shares the moon with Chang'e and the jade rabbit, THOUGH THEIR STORIES ARE ONLY LOOSELY CONNECTED. The sixty Tai Sui are each personified as a celestial general IN SERVICE OF the Jade Emperor, and the Three Officials are subordinate only to him. (secondary)

Sources

• The deity of all land and earth in Chinese religion — the Earth Queen Lady, also called Dimu or Dimu Niangniang, Lady Mother Earth.: Reference treatment of Lu Ban, Wu Gang, Kui Xing, Houtu and Tai Sui: Lu Ban is the god of carpentry and furniture and the patron saint of builders and contractors, an innovator and engineer credited with inventions such as the saw and the shovel. Wu Gang is associated with the phrase 'pluck osmanthus in the Toad Palace', a chengyu connecting the lunar tree with passing the imperial examinations; the tree is now known in Chinese as the yuegui, the Moon gui. Kui Xing is a brilliant but ugly dwarf who, as the god of examinations, became the deity of scholars who took the imperial examinations; he is often depicted holding a writing brush to check off the most outstanding candidate, an official seal in the other hand, and balancing a bushel basket to measure the talents of examinees. Houtu, also Houtu Niangniang, the Earth Queen Lady, otherwise Dimu or Dimu Niangniang, Lady Mother Earth, is the deity of all land and earth in Chinese religion. In Chinese astrology Tai Sui means the Guardian God of the Year and governs all the fortunes of a particular year; there are a total of sixty Tai Sui, each personified as a celestial general in service of the Jade Emperor. (secondary)