If you say that the first of the five gods of wealth, I think it is Taoism[Marshal Zhengyi Xuantan], folk [Zhengyi Dragon and Tiger Xuantan Zhenjun, under the jurisdiction of Zhaobao Tianzun, Nazhen Tianzun, Fortune Messenger, Lishi Immortal Official] Zhao Gongming God of Wealth.
In China's vast lineage of secular gods, the God of Wealth is a relatively late deity, whose origins can be traced back to the Northern Song Dynasty.
During the Song Dynasty, the productive forces were greatly developed, and the commodity economy became active. Because China has experienced a long period of self-sufficient small-scale peasant economy, people's pursuit of wealth is not strong under the conditions of low productivity and material scarcity. However, by the time of the Song Dynasty, the development and prosperity of the commodity economy greatly stimulated people's desire to get rich.
For a long time, merchants were the most devout believers in the God of Wealth, but the peasants, who accounted for the majority of society, also received and worshiped the God of Wealth, because the pursuit of wealth was the common goal of people from all walks of life. As a folk god closely related to people's lives, the God of Wealth has a wide range of beliefs among the people.
The God of Wealth is complex, and with the change of regions and customs, new members are constantly absorbed, and finally a huge and complex genealogy of the God of Wealth is formed. As the giver and protector of wealth, the God of Wealth has enjoyed the admiration and worship of the people for thousands of years, which is a very remarkable special phenomenon in the history of Chinese civilization.
Folk belief has practical value, it is the premise of satisfying the psychological needs of the people, and its practical utilitarianism determines the alternation of folk gods. However, the God of Wealth has been present in the lives of the people since the day it was created.
With the development of history, various places and religions gave birth to various gods of wealth in order to meet the needs of the people. For example, Zhao Gongming, the hidden god of wealth in the secret method of the Marshal of Zhengyi Xuantan, originally had the main function of catching ghosts and subduing demons, and prosecuting grievances to make his interpretation fair. In terms of buying and selling for money, he advocated harmony.
However, due to the spread of "The Romance of the Gods", Zhao Gongming was invited into Taoism as a new identity like the God of Wealth, realizing the "glory of returning to his hometown", and the two godheads coexisted. This suggests that folk beliefs in turn influenced Taoism.
In addition,During the Ming and Qing dynasties, there were also the predecessors of the folk offerings to the God of Wealth, such as Hehe, Wanhui, Lishi Xianguan, and Fortune Boy. Like Zhao Gongming, these gods were invited back to Taoism in a new identity like the God of Wealth, realizing the "return to their hometown". Moreover, they were classified as subordinates of Zhao Gongming, Marshal of Zhengyi Xuantan.
"Dao Fa Hui Yuan" volume 235 "Two Holy Runes" says: "Heaven and God are in harmony, earth is in harmony with God, and the two Holy Spirits are really fast and fast." Fortune boy, into Bao Langjun, everything is harmonious, and all things are abundant。"And harmony" said: "Heaven and God, Earth and God, Six Poisons God, Harmony Boy, Brother Wanhui, Lishi Boy." General Zhao Shuai, Li Shi came to peace. ”They have two kinds of deities in Taoism at the same time, and they straddle the two worlds of Taoism and folk, reflecting the mutual influence and integration of folk beliefs and Taoism.
ForThe God of Literature and Wealth is just that the folk divide the God of Wealth into the God of Wealth and the God of Partial Wealth. In the God of Wealth, according to the official position and experience of the God of Wealth, it is divided into the God of Literature and Wealth and the God of Martial Wealth. These gods of literature and wealth, which were born due to the needs of the people, are some of them enshrined in Taoism(But some Taoist scriptures don't, but some do, such as Bigan).
As for Guan Gongshen, who is known for his "loyalty", his priesthood as the god of wealth was only attached to it during the Qing Dynasty. In the Susong area of the Ming and Qing dynasties, Guan Gong also had an important image as a commercial protector.
"Qing Jialu" contains: Suzhou "five miscellaneous places, densely populated, the first of the sheng jia in the world, other provinces of the merchants to build the Guandi Temple in the west of the city, the main guest of the public rules and regulations, the building is magnificent, the number is the hall. ”According to an inscription at that time, the worship of Guan Yu by merchants was to ensure that "the market is not terrible". It can be seen that Emperor Guan has become the protector of all merchants here. In various townships, we also found that many Guandi temples were located in township areas, which was obviously related to the needs of merchants.
Coupled with the influence of the Jin merchants on Guan Gong to become a full-time God of Wealth,In addition, there is a folk legend of "Guan Gong Qianlong Escorted the God of Wealth", this legend of Guan Gong being named the God of Wealth continues the function of Guan Gong as a military general to escort the Lord Gong during his lifetime, which can be regarded as a variation of the legend of Guan Gong's escort. The people connected Guan Gong's god of wealth with the Qing emperor, indicating that Guan Gong's worship as the god of wealth may have occurred in the Qing Dynasty, and it also shows that Guan Gong was not only the protector of the people, but also the official protector god.
The above analysis summarizes that the first of the five gods of wealth: Taoism [Zhengyi Xuantan Marshal], folk [Zhengyi Dragon and Tiger Xuantan Zhenjun] Zhao Gongming God of Wealth.
Note: The saying of the five gods of wealth is actually transformed from the five gods (evil gods) (five links, in order to avoid secrets), and then transformed into the five gods of wealth. Moreover, this transformation process only appeared in the Qing Dynasty.
The first of the five gods of wealth