What kind of story is "Zhong Kui Ghosts"?

In ancient times, because our ancestors could not understand some natural and social phenomena, they always thought that there was a mysterious thing in human body, which controlled people's thinking and feelings. People call this mysterious existence "soul".

At that time, people thought that the soul did not disappear after death, but became a state that people could not feel and entered another realm. The soul of such people after death is called "ghost". After this concept came into being, it formed a powerful force and was deeply rooted in people's hearts.

In the totem worship in the early primitive society, the ghost totem worship was integrated, and the word "ghost" had already existed in Oracle Bone Inscriptions and had an explanation. Under the word "ghost" in Oracle Bone Inscriptions, there is a word "person", which looks like a terrible head, as if wearing a big horror mask on his head. It is an imaginary monster that looks like a person. At that time, people were afraid of being harassed by some evil spirits, so they held a ceremony called Nuo to exorcise ghosts, and at the same time, wizards specializing in exorcising ghosts appeared.

Legend has it that during the Shang Dynasty, a famous wizard named Zhong Kui appeared. Zhong Kui, wearing a mask of steel head and silver forehead, covered in leopard skin and cinnabar, and holding a big stick, led many monsters to catch wandering ghosts everywhere. Later, people took "Zhong Kui" as the meaning to ward off evil spirits. In the Tang Dynasty, "Zhong Kui" gradually evolved into a fairy tale.

According to legend, there lived a scholar named Zhong at the foot of the Tang Dynasty "Kaiyuan Shengshi". Although Zhong Xiucai studied hard, he was not admitted to a candidate until he was in his fifties.

One day, Zhong Xiucai's wife dreamed that a giant star fell from the sky and later gave birth to a son. Zhong Xiucai loved his son very much and named him Zhong Kui. He hopes that his son will become a champion in the future to realize his unfulfilled dream.

Zhong Kui was born a few years ago, and his parents died one after another, leaving only him and his sister and living a very poor life. However, Zhong Kui's ambition has not been lost because of poverty. From an early age, he was determined to fulfill his father's legacy, be the top scholar, honor his ancestors and do something great.

Because of Zhong Kui's hard work, he learned a lot, and finally he easily gained the reputation as a scholar and juror. However, Zhong Kui was penniless and had no money for him to take the imperial examination in Beijing.

Seeing that the examination period was coming, Zhong Kui asked for help everywhere. At this moment, there happened to be a kind man named Du Ping who generously gave Zhong Kui twenty taels of silver. Zhong Kui is very grateful to Du Ping. He took the travelling expenses and set off immediately to catch the exam. He made up his mind not to go home until he got into the exam.

Due to the hurry and the hot weather, Zhong Kui caught the summer heat on the way. But he didn't dare to delay the examination period, and he didn't dare to live up to the expectations of Du Ping and his sister, so he still endured the illness and stumbled on the road.

One dark night, Zhong Kui saw a ruined temple and went in for the night. When he was asleep, he met a group of wild ghosts. Seeing that he was ambitious, talented and resourceful, the wild ghost was very jealous, so he circled around Zhong Kui and gave Zhong Kui a good beating. But Zhong Kui didn't notice it at all, only felt severe pain all over, and he just walked to Beijing to take the court exam.

Zhong Kui, after all, is the star in the sky. His article was excellent, and he finally reached the top and won the first prize. However, when the Emperor Palace summoned the top scholar in the exam, he saw that Zhong Kui was ugly, ferocious and ugly, and refused to choose him as the top scholar. Although ministers tried their best to remonstrate with the emperor and fight for him, Zhong Kui also told him about his adventures on the way, but the emperor's mouth was open and he would never change.

Zhong Kui is a man of strong character. When he saw that the emperor refused to be the number one scholar because of his ugly face, he was so angry that he repeatedly shouted, "I'm almost bent to death!" I am going to die! " Say that finish, I tried my best to hit a bronze tripod next to me, and I lost my life.

Seeing such a tragic scene, the emperor deeply regretted it, so he ordered Zhong Kui to be reburied.

Zhong Kui's murders, full of resentment, floated to the underworld. As soon as he entered Yan's temple, he pointed to Yan's nose and swore, "You are the king of Yan, so you should be impartial. Why do I lose my reputation even if evil spirits come to ruin my appearance, and I am ashamed to see my poor sister and Du Ping who helped me? " How can the emperor be so fatuous without mercy! "

Hades don't know what's going on, but Zhong Kui threw herself into it, picked up a glittering spike stick in Rosen Hall and danced around chasing GREAT GHOST's kid. Even Yan was scared by him to leave the DPRK and hide.

Later, Zhong Kui saw a big clock in the temple and rushed to thunder. This clock was originally a celestial clock. When it rang, it alerted the Jade Emperor in the sky.

The jade emperor quickly asked the special envoy around him, Taibai Venus. Taibai Venus bowed her head and said to the Jade Emperor, "This is someone making trouble in the Temple of the Prince of Yan. This man used to be a star in the sky, but now he is complaining in the underworld. " Then he told the story of Zhong Kui from beginning to end.

The Jade Emperor immediately summoned the Prince of Yan and said, "This Zhong Kui is a star in the sky, and it is understandable that he has fallen into this situation because of many grievances on earth. When you go back, as I said, let him be an exorcist and take charge of all kinds of monsters in the world. This is the touch of Green's sword, please give it to him! "

Yan got the jade emperor's will and hurried back to hell. Called Zhong Kui to him, conveyed the will of the Jade Emperor, gave him the sword, and gave him a ghost gourd as his personal treasure. In this way, Zhong Kui became a special god to exorcise evil spirits and catch ghosts.

Later, during the Tianyuan period of Emperor Tang Ming, Emperor Tang Ming returned to the palace after inspecting Mount Li, and he was depressed all the time and soon fell asleep. After a sleep, I dreamed of a kid with one bare foot, the other wearing sandals, a shoe hanging around his waist and a broken fan nailed to it. He saw the ghost go to the dragon's bed and stole the imperial concubine's sachet and his jade emperor, so he scolded the child loudly.

The kid smiled and said, "I'm a money-wasting kid, which means stealing other people's property for fun." Consumption is to make people less happy and more worried, and turn people's good things into bad things. "

When Tang saw that he was so rude, he flew into a rage. He really wanted to call the samurai to catch this boy. Suddenly, I saw a huge ghost with a sword in his hand, a gourd hanging around his waist and black boots on his feet. He grabbed the child in one hand, broke it in half and stuffed it into the gourd at his waist.

Don was surprised and asked who he was. GREAT GHOST said respectfully, "I am Zhong Kui, an exorcist on earth. I have come to repay you for your gracious burial. " When Tang heard this, he felt ashamed, so he sealed Zhong Kui's post.

When Emperor Ming of the Tang Dynasty woke up, his mood improved. He cheerfully called the painter Wu Daozi to the temple and asked Wu Daozi to paint Zhong Kui according to his dream.

Wu Daozi was a famous painter at that time. He painted a portrait of Zhong Kui described by the emperor. Tang was particularly surprised and said to Wu Daozi, "You and I had the same dream? Why did you draw exactly what I dreamed? "

Tang saw the portrait and was full of praise, so he gave him one hundred and twenty gold. Emperor Tang Ming immediately ordered the world that on New Year's Eve, every household should offer a portrait of Zhong Kui.

From then on, Zhong Kui became famous and became a famous exorcist. During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, there was a plague in the spring one year. In the helpless situation, people thought of inviting Zhong Kui to play ghost tricks. Since then, painting Zhong Kui on the Dragon Boat Festival has become a custom, either as a gift or as a hanging, which lasted for a long time.

It is said that the story of Zhong Kui was first seen in Meng Qian Bi Tan by Shen Kuo, a scientist in the Northern Song Dynasty. Since the Song and Yuan Dynasties, Zhong Kui's image has further evolved, with such plays as "Five Ghosts Haunted Zhong Kui in the Year of Qingfeng" and "Zhong Kui Marries a Sister". During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, scholars also adapted many novels about Zhong Kui according to the image of Zhong Kui, which made the image of Zhong Kui more humanized.

People use his image to make various works of art and put them in the house or at the gate, hoping to drive out evil and get peace. Zhong Kui's image is posted on the portal to kill ghosts and ward off evil spirits, hung on the nave to ward off evil spirits, and appeared on the exorcism instrument to unify ghosts and gods and slay demons, from which various Zhong Kui plays and Zhong Kui images were derived.

By portraying the image of Zhong Kui, people have increased their courage to defeat evil forces, and also pinned their good wishes for a stable and peaceful life. Zhong Kui is the most familiar figure in Chinese folk beliefs. People have respected him for thousands of years, and he has a long history as an important part of China culture.