Culture Tourism
Bi Gan Temple
(chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-06-03 09:57
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Bi Gan was the uncle of King Zhou of the Shang Dynasty. He was a faithful and righteous minister.
According to Fengshen Yanyi or The Creation of the Gods, Bi Gan's heart was dug out by Daji, King Zhou's most favored concubine, but he didn't die thanks to the panacea offered by Jiang Ziya. Later, Bi Gan went into the midst of the common people to distribute treasure.
Legend has it that merchants under the blessing of Bi Gan all did honest business, never cheating anyone. That's why Bi Gan was widely praised and worshiped. The usual portrait of Bi Gan is a man dressed like a civil official who wears a minister's gauze cap and embroidered robe, with a ruyi (an S-shaped ornamental object, usu. made of jade, formerly a symbol of good luck) in his hand and gold or silver ingots under his feet.
