The Spring Festival is the grandest national holiday in Chinese folk culture. Among these, New Year's Eve is the liveliest day of the Spring Festival. On New Year's Eve, people eat dumplings and stay up all night waiting to meet the God of Wealth. Some people even bring the God of Wealth to their doors. On the second day of the New Year, people also worship the God of Wealth. There are two types of God of Wealth: the literary God of Wealth and the martial God of Wealth. The literary God of Wealth is Bi Gan and Fan Li, while the martial God of Wealth is Zhao Gongming and Guan Gong. In addition, the gods of wealth that people believe in include the Five Saints, Chai Rong, Cai Gong and Cai Mu, the Hehe Erxian, the Lishixian Guan, Wenchang Dijun, and the living god of wealth Shen Wansan. In terms of their beliefs and their relationship with Taoism, the gods of wealth include the Civil and Military God of Wealth, the Five Saints, the Hehe Erxian, and Wenchang Dijun.
Zhao Gongming, also known as “Zhao Gongdai”. Nowadays, Taoism mainly worships him as the God of Wealth, but he is also one of the four Taoist protectors (introduced earlier), because 
he once guarded the alchemy room of Zhang Tian Shi, and later the folk also pasted his statue on the door as a door god to ward off evil and pray for blessings. As for his origin, it has been introduced before. Among his duties, in addition to “removing plagues, cutting malaria, protecting the sick and warding off disasters,” there is also the function of “trading and seeking wealth, and being able to make it profitable and harmonious. But there is no such thing as fair play that can be prayed to the gods, and nothing goes as expected.”
The general public commonly worships Zhao Gongming, probably starting in the middle of the Ming Dynasty or slightly earlier. The main reason for this is that “buying and selling for wealth” is one of his main responsibilities. The statues of Zhao Gongming as the God of Wealth are all depicted wearing a helmet and armour, a battle robe, holding a whip, with a black and bushy beard, and a mighty image. They are often surrounded by paintings of treasure basins, large ingots of gold, orbs, corals, and the like.
According to the Qing Dynasty scholar Gu Lu's “Qing Jialu” (Record of the Qing Dynasty), the 15th day of the third lunar month is considered the birthday of Zhao Gongming in Wu. On this day, people would hold ceremonies to worship the god of wealth, either in temples or at home in the form of statues. Merchants were the most common worshippers of the god of wealth. The “Yangyuan County Annals” of Hebei Province says: “The god of wealth is worshipped by all merchants. Every year in the first month, there is a special period of worship for the God of Wealth, just as people worship the heavens and the earth in their homes. Every year on the 18th day of the second month, a play is also dedicated in thanks.”
Guan Gong, also known as “Guan Sheng Di Jun” or simply “Guan Di”, was originally one of the four Daoist protectors, but nowadays he is mainly worshipped as the God of Wealth in Daoism. His origins have already been described above. Apart from his functions of “curing diseases and warding off disasters, driving away evil spirits and punishing traitors, inspecting the underworld”, and “ensuring prosperity and protecting merchants and attracting wealth”, he is also worshipped as the God of Wealth because of his loyalty. Because merchants believe that there are three, one is that Guan Gong was very good at managing finances and excelled at accounting during his lifetime. He once set up a notational method and invented the daily clearing book. This calculation method has four items: original, receipts, outgoing, and inventory, which is very detailed and clear. Later generations of merchants recognized him as an accounting expert, so he was worshipped as the god of commerce. Second, because merchants talked about business and trading, and attached the utmost importance to righteousness and trust. Guan Gong had both righteousness and trust, so he was revered. Third, it was said that after Guan Gong's death, the real god often came back to help in battles and achieve victory. Merchants hoped that one day, if their business suffered a setback, they could, like Guan Gong, rise again the next day and strive for ultimate success. This belief was accepted by all walks of life in the Qing Dynasty, and worship of him was particularly prevalent. In modern times, the brotherhoods and gangs of the underworld, such as the Gelaohui and the Qinghong Gang, worshipped Guan Yu in particular. Brothers sworn in the underworld would also worship Guan Yu, burn their tablets and swear an oath to keep their promises.
In modern times, Guan Gong has another title in Taiwan – Xuanling Gao Shangdi. Since the Qing Dynasty, the people have suffered from the hardships of displacement and the humiliation of internal and external troubles, and they have prayed for the protection of the loyal, courageous and righteous Guan Gong. When the people of some cities in Jiangnan were brutally massacred by the Qing soldiers and foreign invaders, they carried out the statue of Guan Gong to rally the people to resist foreign humiliation. When the people encountered natural disasters, man-made disasters, diseases, and disputes, they prayed to Guan Yu for rain, medicine, protection from disasters and demons, righteousness and decisiveness. The imperial court prayed to Guan Yu to protect the country and its people, while the local people prayed to Guan Yu to eliminate violence and protect the innocent. In the modern era, due to internal and external troubles, some people brought this belief in Guan Yu with them when they fled to Taiwan, and it has been passed down. In the modern era, with the flourishing of commerce, Guan Yu is also revered as the God of War and Wealth, protecting the prosperity of industry and commerce. In May 1993, the Taiwan Taoist Association in Taishan Township, Taipei, further elevated Guan Yu's status in Taoism by proclaiming him the 18th generation God of Heaven, with the title “The Supreme Emperor of the Dark Spirit Realm”. The qualities of Guan Gong, such as loyalty, bravery, benevolence, trustworthiness and righteousness, epitomize the traditional virtues of the Chinese nation and embody the social aspirations and ideal personality of the people. Therefore, he has been admired by people all over the world for thousands of years and has been bestowed with additional titles over the ages. In the Song Dynasty, he was titled “Xianling Wang” (King of Manifesting Miracles), and during the reign of Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty, he was titled “Yongyi Wuan Wang” (Brave and Courageous King of Military Safety). During the reign of Emperor Shenzong of the Ming Dynasty, his title was upgraded to “Xietian Huguo Zhongyi Di” (Loyal and Righteous Emperor Who Cooperates with Heaven) and “Sanjie Fumo Dadi Shenwei Yuan Zhen Tianzun Guansheng Dijun” (Emperor Guan, the Supreme Being Who Is Residing in Heaven and Who Is the Great God Who Subdues During the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Shunzhi further bestowed the title “The Great Sage Emperor of the Three Realms Suppressing Demons, Residing in the Distant Firmament, the Godly and Mighty Guardian of Heaven, the Benevolent and Courageous Protector of the Nation, the Devoted Pacifier, the Praised and Blessed Emperor Guan Yu”.
Bi Gan: The God of Wealth The image of Bi Gan worshipped in the God of Wealth Hall is dressed as a civil official, wearing a prime minister's hat, a long beard, holding a ruyi sceptre, wearing a brocade robe and with a gold ingot as his footrest. This attire is very similar to that of a heavenly official, the main difference being that the heavenly official has a kind expression and a smile on his face, while Bi Gan has a stern expression and a haggard appearance. The Records of the Grand Historian: The Yin Dynasty records that Bi Gan, the uncle of King Zhou of Yin, was a man of integrity and honesty. He was very worried when he saw that the king was indulging in debauchery and neglecting his duties, and was tyrannical and unrighteous. He often spoke frankly to advise the king. During one of these admonitions, King Zhou became furious and said, “I have heard that the hearts of the sages have seven apertures! Today I want to see if your heart has seven apertures!”...According to folklore, Bi Gan glared at King Zhou in anger, plucked his own heart from his body, threw it on the ground, walked out of the palace, went to the common people, and distributed treasures widely. Although he no longer had a heart, he did not die because he had taken the elixir that Jiang Ziya had given him. Because he had no heart, he was impartial and fair in his dealings, so he was deeply loved and praised by the people. At that time, he ran a business under the leadership of Bi Gan, and his dealings were fair and honest, so people worshipped him as the God of Wealth.
Fan Li was a minister of King Goujian of Yue. He was resourceful and helped the king defeat the king of Wu and establish hegemony. At the celebration party, Fan Li was the only one missing. It turned out that he had changed his name and fled to the state of Qi. Before leaving, he wrote a letter to another minister, Wen Zhong, saying, “The high birds have scattered, the good bow will be hidden; the cunning rabbits are gone, the good dogs will be cooked. The King of Yue is a long-necked bird with a beak, watching with eagle eyes and walking with a wolf's step. He can share weal and woe, but not enjoy life with you. If you don't go, you will be harmed.” Wen Zhong did not believe him, and in the end he became a victim of the sword. Fan Li ran agriculture and commerce in Qi and made a fortune. He regarded money lightly and distributed his wealth to poor friends and estranged relatives. Fan Li was able to get rich and then give away his wealth. In the minds of the people, he was a rare living god of wealth.
In the Song Dynasty, there was the belief in the Five Saints, and later on there were the Five Passages, the Five Manifestations, the Five Thieves, the Five Roads, etc. There are various legends about their origins. The Five Passages God is also known as the “Five Saints” or “Wulang God”. According to the “Cha Xiang Shi Cong Chao” (Tea Fragrance Chamber Collection of Essays), the saying that immortals of the Five Passages do not die already existed in the Tang Dynasty. The Song Dynasty poet Su Shi once wrote the lines “Just for being the immortal Five Passages immortal”. The belief in Wutong was widespread and complex in the Song Dynasty. According to Yijian Zhi, the Wutong deity could take the form of a five or six year old child, and was called the “God of Comfort”. It was believed that the deity could foretell good and bad fortune, and was worshipped as a household deity by the common people, especially merchants, and was considered to be quite efficacious. The deity was also known by many other names, such as “Mokushimaburo”, “Mokke”, “Dokkyaku Wutong”, “Kakugorou” and “Gokai Gorou”. The belief in it was most prevalent during the Ming and Qing dynasties, especially in Jiangnan, where Wutong temples were set up everywhere and incense smoke could be seen everywhere. The Wutong Temple on Lingjia Mountain in the west of Suzhou City is the most famous. There is also the theory that the Wutong deity originated in the early Ming dynasty, when the first emperor of the Ming dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, conquered Chen Youliang. Zhu Yuanzhang had a dream in which Chen's soldiers, who had died in large numbers, asked for compensation. Zhu Yuanzhang then ordered each household in Jiangnan to build a small temple 1 foot 5 inches high to worship the spirits of the dead.
The Five Manifest Deities are the deities of wealth worshipped in the Jiangxi area of Dexing and Wuyuan during the Song Dynasty. The five brothers were all made kings during the Song Dynasty, and because the first character of their titles all began with the character “manifest”, they were called the Five Manifest Deities. According to the “Sanjiao Yuanyu Soucheng Daquan” (A Comprehensive Collection of Supernatural Beings from the Three Religions), the Five Manifest Deities originated in the heavens and earth, and descended upon Wuyuan during the Tang Dynasty's Guangqi period (885-888). According to folklore, there was a magnificent garden in the north of the city. One day, a bright red light shot up from the garden, and five divine beings descended from the sky. They said that they had been sent by heaven to bless the people of this region and, after making this declaration, they ascended back to the sky. Wang Yu and the people of the city built a temple to worship them, and their prayers were answered. The temple was first called “Wutong”, but was later given the name “Lingshun”. The divine deeds of the five gods were reported to the imperial court every time, and they were always praised and honoured. During the Xuanhe reign (1119-1126) of Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty, he was given the title of Marquis of Two Characters. During the Shaoxing reign (1131-1163) of Emperor Gaozong of the Song Dynasty, he was given the title of Marquis of Four Characters. During the Qiandao reign (1165-1174) of Emperor Xiaozong of the Song Dynasty, he was given the title of Marquis of Eight Characters. During the second year of the Jiatai reign (1202) of Emperor Ningzong of the Song Dynasty, he was given the title of King of Two Characters. During the first year of the Jing the first year (1260) was given the title of four-character king, and because he repeatedly helped Jiangzuo, he was given the title of six-character king. In the sixth year (1271) of Xianchun (1265-1275), he was again given the title of eight-character king. His wife was also given titles. His eight-character titles were: the first, Xiancong Zhaoying Linge Guangji Wang, Xian Qing Xie Hui Zhao Zhu Fu, the second wife, Xian Ming Zhao Lie Ling Hu Guang You Wang, Xian Hui Xie Qing Shan Zhu, the third wife, Xian Zheng Zhao Shun Ling Wei Guang Hui Wang, Xian Ji Xie You Zheng Zhu, the fourth wife, Xian Zhen Zhao You Ling Zhu Guang Ze Wang, Xian You Xie Ji Xi Zhu, the fifth wife, Xian De Zhao Li Ling Zhu Guang Cheng Wang, Xian Fu Xie Ai Jing Zhu. They are therefore called the Five Manifested Deities, and the temples dedicated to them are called the Five Manifested Temples. It is said that prayers are answered and the temples are always bustling with worshippers.
Wang Kui's Li Hai Ji from the Song Dynasty (960–1279) calls the 28th day of the ninth lunar month the birthday of the Five Manifested Deities. In fact, the legend of the Five Manifested Deities dates back to the Tang Dynasty (618–907), but they are not mentioned in any historical records until the Song Dynasty. The Yijian Zhi is the classic that records the most about the Wuxian God, but it is different from the Wutong God. Later, Wuxian and Wutong were often confused with each other, and it was said that the belief in them began in the area around Wuyuan, Dexing, Jiangxi, and gradually spread. According to the Yijian Zhi, the Wuxian Qing in Dexing is the place where the god made his fortune. Lin Liu, a native of Changxi in Fuzhou, was studying at the Imperial College when he had a dream in which the Wuxian god appeared to him. He was recommended for the position of magistrate of Dexing County. Wu Chenghuang, a scholar from Shangrao, visited the temple and everything in his dream came true. He reported this to the emperor, and the Wuxian god was given an additional title. The “Collection of Books Ancient and Modern: Strange and Unusual” records that when the Great Taizu of the Ming ruled from Jinling, he built 14 temples in the capital, including the Wuxian Lingguan Temple, where sacrifices were offered in the summer and autumn. The “Origin and Development of the Three Religions: A Complete Collection of the Gods” states that the Wuxian God appeared in the Guangqi period of the Tang Dynasty, but there are no records of this in books, so there is no way to verify it. It is only passed down orally in the Wuyuan area, and what is recorded is the legend at the time. According to various records, the Five Manifested Deities all became deities after their deaths, and their names vary greatly. The New Search for Gods and Ghosts refers to them as the five sons of Song Dynasty man Xiao Yongfu, the Cast-Iron Tripod: Anecdotes from the Foundry refers to them as the five brothers surnamed Chai from the Southern Qi Dynasty, and the Qingjia Record refers to them as the five sons of Gu, the fifth son of Chen Huangmen Shilang Yewang. In Yuan Ke's Dictionary of Chinese Myths and Legends, it is said: “The Five Manifested Deities are the five sons of the god of Mount Tai, the third of whom is the god of fire, Bingling Wang. Bingling Wang is the Emperor of Huaguang, as written in the Journey to the South, and Marshal Ma, the Lord of Spirits, as recorded in the Encyclopedia of the Search for Spirits of the Three Religions. The Five Manifested Deities Temple was originally called the ‘Five Passages’ Temple, hence the name.
The Five Thieves, also known as the Five Daoists or Five Sons, are Du Ping, Li Si, Ren An, Sun Li and Geng Yanzheng. There are various legends about their origins. One theory is that during the Five Dynasties period, five bandits became sworn brothers and got rich by robbing. Later, they had a change of heart and regretted that they had not been able to show filial piety to their parents. So they took in an extremely poor old woman and treated her like their own mother, doing everything for her and listening to her every word. From then on, they abandoned evil and followed the path of good, and after they died, people worshipped them and their spirits were repeatedly manifested as miraculous. Another version is recorded in the “Search for Gods of the Three Teachings”: During the Song Dynasty, there were five bandits who dominated a region, rebelled against the government, and caused harm to the people. The imperial court sent General Zhang Hong to capture and kill the five bandits in the north of Xinfen County. Later, the spirits of these five people did not disperse, and they caused trouble and confused the people in the place where they died. People were afraid of their troubles, so they worshipped them and called them the Five Bandit Generals. Later, the five people were transformed into the God of Thieves and were worshipped, but it was not popular. It is also said that the Five Thief Generals are the Five Dao Generals, who are rumoured to be subordinate gods of the Eastern Emperor, the god of the underworld, in charge of the life and death, fortune and glory of the living, and worshipped in five temples.
Wenchang Dijun, also known as Zitong Dijun, is the god of success, fame and fortune worshipped by Taoism. He is the guardian deity of ancient Chinese learning, writing and the imperial examinations, and has a high status in the Taoist pantheon. The “Comprehensive Mirror to the Immortals of All Ages” says that he is “the lord of the celestial register of the 33 heavens, the lord of human life and fortune on earth, and the lord of the 18 hells and reincarnation”.
The belief in Wenchang originated from the ancient Chinese belief in astrology. Wenchang is originally a constellation in the sky. The Chu Ci Zhuang says: Wenchang is a constellation of six stars, in front of the Big Dipper. Gao Hou's Mengshu says: Wenchang is a constellation of six stars to the left of the Big Dipper. Each of the six stars has its own god in charge of a different duty: the first is in charge of building up power and prestige; the second is in charge of setting things right; the third is in charge of matters of rank; the fourth is in charge of rewards and promotions; the fifth is in charge of punishing wrongdoers; and the sixth is in charge of helping to protect the country. Taoism believes that when Wenchang is bright, literary fortunes will flourish. According to the Cloud and Scroll of the Seven Branches, the Star God of Wenchang is called Xianchang, and is the symbol of the emperor's command. The central command-giver, or the ruler of destiny, controls the birth year of the individual, and oversees the longevity of the individual. The Taiyi changes the soul and the symbols are arranged. The command-giver mixes with Taiyi and uses the family register as a guide. His name is Ming, his initials are Yuandu Qing, one name is Shenzong, and one name is Linghua. Laojun said: Zuosiming is also a person, surnamed Han, named Si, courtesy name Yuanshen, from Changle. Zuosiming, Sifang, etc. belong to it. Zuosiming has 36 major officials. You Sifang surnamed Zhang, named Huoyi, courtesy name Ziliang, from Guangyang. Silu, Sifei, etc. belong to it. The right divinatory minister also has 36 major officials. The Celestial Master said: The two divinatory ministers, Han Zhang, were both ministers of the Han Gaozu. Wenchang Shen is said to have been born in the world and to have had 73 transformations and 79 transformations. It is said that the Jade Emperor ordered the Zhang family to take charge of Wenchang Palace and the human records, so the Yuan Dynasty enshrined its god as Wenchang Dijun.
Wenyu Dijun was also named Zitong Dijun because he lived in Zitong, Sichuan, and this is where his origin lies. According to the tenth volume of the Huayang Guozhi, Zitong County has a shrine to Ezi, also known as the Shandan Shrine, where the people worship with a thunder rammer. Originally, it was the god of thunder, and after the Tang Dynasty, the Zitong god originated from this. The Zi Tong God, whose surname is Zhang and whose given name is Ezi, also known as Yazi, served in the Jin Dynasty and died in battle. People built a temple to worship him, or called him the snake spirit, and he became the guardian god of Shu. His status gradually increased and his reputation spread more and more widely. He could predict the fate of scholars in the imperial examinations and was revered by them. Legend has it that his birthday is the third day of the second lunar month.
Since the Tang Dynasty, emperors of successive dynasties have bestowed generous honors on Wenchang Dijun. Emperor Tang Minghuang hunted in Shu, and legend has it that the god greeted him at Sima Bridge, so he was posthumously honored as the Left Chancellor. Emperor Tang Xizong was displaced, and Wenchang also helped, so he was honored as King Jishun. During the Song Dynasty, the imperial examination system was valued for a time, so people from all over prayed to Wenchang Dijun for blessings of fame and fortune, and the trend was especially strong. In Shu,
Zhang Yazi Temple in Shu was the most effective temple of Zitong God. Scholars who passed by it would certainly become prime ministers, and those who passed by it during rain would certainly become top exam scorers. It was said that when Wang Anshi was young, he once passed by Zhang Yazi Temple during a heavy rainstorm, and he later became prime minister. During the reign of Emperor Zhen Zong of the Song Dynasty, there was a rebellion in Xianping. Wenchang God helped to suppress the rebellion and was credited with the victory. In the fourth year (1001), Emperor Zhen Zong posthumously conferred the title of King Ying Xian Wu Lie on him. During the Zhao Song Dynasty, Emperor Taizu of Song conferred the title of King Sheng Wen Ren Wu Xiao De Sheng Lie on him. Emperor Li Zong of Song conferred the title of Shenyi Shengwu Xiaode Zhongren Wang, and on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month of the third year (1316) of the Yuan dynasty's Ren Zong Yan You (1314-1321), he was successively worshipped as the Fengyuan Kaihua Wenchang Siru Hongren Dijun.
During the Song and Yuan dynasties, a Daoist priest falsely claimed to have received a divine revelation from the Lord of Zitong, in which he recounted his life story. The Lord of Zitong was originally from Wu, born in the early Zhou dynasty. After 73 reincarnations, he had always been a scholar. Later, at the end of the Western Jin dynasty, he was reborn in the south of Xijiao in Yue. His surname was Zhang, his given name Yazi, his style name Peifu, and his nickname Zhang Shanshen. As a young man, he had a different way of doing things and had the intention of hiding away. At night, when he was alone in a room, he often laughed to himself, his whole body glowing. The neighbors were amazed and prayed to him one after another, and many things happened that were efficacious. Later, he ascended to heaven and became immortal. The Jade Emperor ordered him to take charge of the mansion of the Star God of Literature and be in charge of the human world's register of fortunes. At this point, the Zitong God and the Star God of Literature merged into one, becoming the god