A Little History on Cai Shen

Even though Cai Shen can be considered a god, in mythology, he was believed to have been incarnated into a few historical figures throughout the centuries. He was mostly seen taking the form of key political figures and also military figures, as with his extended knowledge and tremendous wealth, he was able to assist or provide advanced political moves. While there have been many figures that are believed to be in the incarnation of Cai Shen, some of the most popular figures are such as the stories of Bi Gan and Zhao Gong Ming.

In legends, Bi Gan was a wise sage who advised the king on governing a country. He was married and had a wife and son. He was, unfortunately, put to death by his own nephew, Di Xin, King Zhou Of Shang as he didn’t want to hear Bi Gan’s good advice. Bi Gan’s wife and son were able to escape and survived. However, it didn’t take long after Bi Gan’s death for the Shang dynasty to collapse.The Emperor of Heaven pitied Bi Gan for his loyalty, and he was named the “God Of Wealth '' because he was not selfish and unintentional. Bi Gan was also a civil servant, thus why he was also given the title of God Of Wealth.

The Fengshen Yanyi novel tells the legend of Zhao Gong Ming who used magic to support the failing Shang dynasty. A person named Jiang Ziya opposed this as he supported the opposing Zhou dynasty. He made a straw effigy of Zhao where he spent 20 days to tell incantations to it and shot an arrow through its heart. Zhao Gong Ming would later pass away. When Jiang visited the temple of Yuan Shi, he was scolded for the killing and was made to carry the corpse into the temple and apologize for his mistake. Zhao was later canonized as an incarnation of Cai Shen.