Yang Ren

Yang Ren (Chinese: 楊任; pinyin: Yáng Rèn) is a character from the classic Chinese novel Fengshen Yanyi.^[1] He is worshipped as the deity of the year in Chinese folk religion.^[2]

In Fengshen Yanyi, Yang Ren is a high-ranking official within the Shang dynasty and has the title of Grand Counselor. Once the Jiang Ziya "suicide" incident was at a close, Yang Ren would investigate. Once a messenger headed to Chong Houhu explained the entire situation to Yang Ren, Yang Ren would discuss the issue with King Zhou. As usual, King Zhou grew exceedingly angry over Yang Ren's logic and immediately demanded his eyes be gouged out as punishment. Once this process was performed, Yang Ren would lie on the ground in utter shock covered in his own blood.^[1]

To save Yang Ren from any further bloodshed, Superiorman Insouciant of Mount Green Top Purple Cave would rescue him with his Yellow Kerchiefed Genie. While Yang Ren was being held in the superiorman's arms, he blew on Yang Ren's eye sockets and effectively awakened him with a pair of hands that had eyes within the palm (rather than a pair of eyes itself). The superiorman said that Yang Ren's time was not over as allotted under the will of heaven and thus he remained as a disciple of Insouciant for the remainder of his time.^[3] Yang Ren was appointed as the deity of Jiazi Taisui Shen (甲子太歲之神) in the end.^[4][1][5]

According to belief, Yang Ren was believed to be reincarnated in a household with the surname Jin during the Ming dynasty. His name was Jin Lian, also known as Jin Bian. Jin Lian was an upright individual who diligently worked his way up to become an Assistant Censor-in-Chief. He served in the Ningxia region and tirelessly advocated for central government aid to address drought-related issues for the local residents. Because of his efforts and the support he garnered from the people, he came to be affectionately known as General Jin Bian. The Ningxia region has long suffered from water shortages, with five existing water canals, including the Mingshazhou, Qixinghan, and Boshihuai canals, becoming silted up due to a lack of maintenance. Jin Bian requested that the imperial court allocate funds to promptly clear these canals, which resulted in over 1,300 acres of barren land being irrigated.^[5]

During that time, in order to encourage wealthy individuals to provide disaster relief, the Emperor issued an edict stating that anyone who donated over a thousand bushels of rice for relief efforts would receive an official certificate bearing the Emperor's seal. Upon learning of this, Jin Bian wrote to the Emperor, explaining that the border regions and the inland areas had different rice prices, and thus, he hoped that those who donated less than a thousand bushels in the border regions could also be recognized for their relief efforts. The Emperor heeded Jin Bian's advice and accepted the proposal. As a result, the grain reserves in the border regions became more plentiful, ensuring the well-being of the people.^[6][5]

Yang Ren is worshipped as one of the sixty Taisui Xingjun gods in Chinese folk religion and is known as Jiazi Taisui. Tai Sui are the gods of the year, responsible for both the good and bad fortunes of the world. They take turns overseeing each year within the sixty-year cycle, commonly referred to as the 'Sixty Years of Tai Sui'. There are two main folk concepts about Tai Sui offenses during the year, one is "positive conflict" and the other is "partial conflict". People born in a specific year have the deity on duty during that year as their patron deity, known as their 'birth deity' or 'life guardian deity.' It is believed that by paying respects to their birth deity, one can receive blessings for a smooth and auspicious life. In some Chinese regions, this deity is called the 'Guardian of Life' or the 'Birth Star Lord', collectively referred to as the Sixty Jiazi Gods.^[6]

The concept of Tai Sui originated from the Yellow Emperor's establishment of the twelve Earthly Branches to represent celestial phenomena. In the Warring States period, Tai Sui had become a god/gods in the popular astrology, but there is no record of worshiping the Taisui Xingjun in the documents before the Han dynasty, with the earliest record found in Wang Chong's Lunheng. There are several legends related to it, usually about people disrespecting or ignoring Taisui Xingjun and suffering disaster. For example, in Taiping Guangji, there is a tale of a house that was destroyed and a clan being wiped out because the basement was built without believing in the danger of unearthing Tai Sui as the underground flesh (Feng). During the Tang and Song dynasties, there were no records of formal ceremonies dedicated to Tai Sui. It was not until the Yuan dynasty that the practice of worshipping Tai Sui began. Emperor Xianzong ascended to the throne in the 31st year of the Yuan dynasty. In the month of May, Tai Sui worship ceremonies were conducted at Sitiantai. According to historical records, during the Yuan dynasty, each Tai Sui sacrifice was scheduled based on the lunar month and day, and these arrangements were managed by the Taishi Academy.^[7][8]

In the second year of Emperor Hongwu's reign, during the Ming dynasty, there was a proposal to construct the Tai Sui Altar. In the eighth year of Emperor Jiajing's reign, it was decreed that during the beginning of each year and at year-end, special ceremonies would be held to worship the deities Tai Sui and Yue Jiang on the same day as the Imperial Ancestral Temple.^[7]

• Investiture of the Gods Chapter 18 pages 209 - 211