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Guan Yu (關羽)

Guan Yu (關羽) was a Chinese general who lived at the end of the Eastern Han dynasty (東漢; 25~220 CE). He fought primarily for warlord Liu Bei (劉備), to whom, along with Zhang Fei (張飛), he swore allegiance, and assisted him to found the state of Shu (蜀) during the Three Kingdoms Period (三國時代; 220~280). He was eventually captured by Sun Quan's (孫權) forces of the state of Wu (吳) and executed.

He was reputed for his loyalty and worshipped as a deity, being formally inducted into the Daoist pantheon some 400 years after his death in 220 CE, as well as being adopted by folk Buddhism as a boddhisattva.

Over subsequent centuries, the myths surrounding Guan Yu's exploits proliferated, culminating in the 14th-century novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" (三國演義), and leading to his further enhancement as a paradigm of loyalty and righteousness.

He is worshipped by Chinese people around the world, often by the names of Guan Gong (關公; "Duke Guan"), Guan Di (關帝; "Emperor Guan") and so forth. As the patron deity of business people, small statues of him are found in shops and restaurants. At folk / Daoist temples, he frequently appears as a door god to ward off evil spirits, often with Zhang Fei. Guan Yu is easily recognized by his beard and often red face, and by his weapon of choice a 偃月刀 (Mdn. yanyuedao; lit. "supine [cresent] moon blade"), which is more commonly known as a 關刀 (Mdn. Guan dao; lit. "Guan's blade").



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