Bixia Yuanjun

Bixia Yuanjun (Chinese: 碧霞元君; lit. 'The Primordial Sovereign of the Colored Clouds of Dawn'),[1] also known as Taishan Niangniang (Chinese: 泰山娘娘; lit. 'The Lady of Mount Tai'), is the goddess of Mount Tai, childbirth, the dawn, and destiny in Chinese traditional religion.[2][3]

Statue of Bixia Yuanjun at Mount Tai

Bixia Yunjun is an important deity in China and her influence was spread by Tai'an City, Shandong Province, particularly during the Ming and Qing dynasties. This had a great impact on the culture of northern China.[4] She became northern China's figure goddess equivalent to the bodhisattva Guanyin or to Avalokitesvara, whose cult was powerful in central and southern China.[5][6]

Name and title

Bixia Yuanjun was granted elevated titles, such as Tianxian Shengmu (Heavenly immortal, saintly mother) and Tianxian Yünu (Heavenly immortal, jade maiden). However, she is commonly known as Taishan Niangniang or Lao Nainai.[7]

Legends

There are many legends of Bixia Yuanjun. She is a composite representation of multiple historical personalities. There are versions which depict her as a daughter or consort of Taiyue Dadi (Grand Emperor of Mount Tai), the main god of Mount Tai and judge of the underworld. Alternatively, late Ming sources assert that Taishan Niangniang was the daughter of a commoner.[8]

The official Taoist hagiography of Bixia Yuanjun is contained in a text entitled History of Mount Tai, compiled by Zha Zhilong (1554-86) and included in the Wanli Emperor's reign (1573-1620) supplement to the Taoist Canon, printed in 1607.

During the Ming and early Qing dynasties, Taishan Niangniang was one of the most popular deities in North China and had some following in the Lower Yangzi region; she also enjoyed significant patronage from the imperial court.[9] As the goddess of dawn, she attends the birth of each new day from her home high in the clouds. As the goddess of childbirth, she attends the birth of children, fixing their destiny and bringing good fortune. Bixia Yuanjin is venerated in the Temple of the Purple Dawn at the summit of the holy mountain, Mount Tai, where women wishing to conceive come to ask for her help.[10]

Temples

The Palace of the Clouds of Dawn (Bixia Gong), a shrine to the goddess, was built at the top of Mount Tai during the Ming dynasty and is still a focus of pilgrimage worship. Her popularity is widespread today. Many cities in China have temples dedicated to Bixia Yuanjun. In Beijing, the Temple of the Eastern Peak (Dongyue Miao) contains a hall dedicated to the goddess, as does the White Cloud Monastery (Baiyun Guan). In Taoist painting and sculpture, she is often accompanied by nine other attendant goddesses, including the goddess of fertility Zhusheng Niangniang and the goddess of eyesight Yanguang Niangniang.

References
  1. "Bixia Yuanjun". The British Museum.
  2. Tian, Fen. "Fate or Future?—A Discussion of Taishan Pilgrimage around the 19th and 20th Centuries".
  3. Hsu, Cho-yun (19 June 2012). China: A New Cultural History. Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-52818-4.
  4. Nadeau, Randall L. (7 May 2012). The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Chinese Religions. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-4051-9031-2.
  5. "Mount Tai". Encyclopedia Britannica.
  6. Fang, Jing Pei (2004). Symbols and Rebuses in Chinese Art: Figures, Bugs, Beasts, and Flowers. Ten Speed Press. ISBN 978-1-58008-551-9.
  7. Hao, Ni. Travel Guide of Shandong. DeepLogic.
  8. Jestice, Phyllis G. (2004). Holy People of the World: A Cross-cultural Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-57607-355-1.
  9. "Up and Down on Mt. Tai: Bixia Yuanjun in the Politics of Chinese Popular Religion, ca. 1500-1949". saturn.ihp.sinica.edu.tw.
  10. Little, Stephen; Eichman, Shawn; Shipper, Kristofer; Ebrey, Patricia Buckley (January 2000). Taoism and the Arts of China. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-22785-9.
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