The "Great, Second, and Third Gods" of Zhangjiajie
Among the Zhang family Tujia people of Zhangjiajie, every household enshrines three deity statues in the main hall: one red-faced, one black-faced, and one white-faced. The red-faced one is called Great God Zhenzhu, the black-faced one Second God Lianzhu, and the white-faced one Third God Xianzhu. Legend says in ancient times, the pillar supporting heaven was somehow broken, and the sky was about to collapse. At this critical moment threatening humanity...
This article has been compiled from historical materials on 'Zhangjiajie Tour Guide Network' (33519.com · Specialty Foods / Cuisine / Customs section). Prices, business hours, administrative divisions, and statistical data mentioned in the text may already be outdated. Before traveling, please refer to the latest announcements from merchants, scenic areas, and local competent authorities; the parts involving folk legends and folk customs are local historical and cultural anecdotes, provided for cultural reference.
The "Three Great Deities" of Zhangjiajie
Among the Tujia people surnamed Zhang in Zhangjiajie, every household enshrines three deity statues in the main hall: one with a red face, one with a black face, and one with a white face. The red-faced one is called Zhenzhu the Great Deity, the black-faced one Lianzhu the Second Deity, and the white-faced one Xianzhu the Third Deity. Legend has it that in ancient times, the pillar supporting the sky was somehow knocked broken, and the sky was about to collapse. At this critical moment when disaster threatened humanity, a goddess named Nüwa hurriedly smelted five-colored stones to patch the sky. As Nüwa smelted the stones, she called upon the mighty men of the world to hold up the sky first. At once, three strong young men bravely stepped forward, each holding up one corner of the sky. The eldest held the sky with his right hand and akimbo with his left, motionless. Because he was older and his strength was failing, he strained until his face turned bright red. The second stood right where Nüwa had set up her furnace; holding the sky with both hands, he could not move, and had to endure the smoke and fire, which blackened his face. And the third? He happened to stand on White Stone Mountain. Nüwa needed to smelt red, blue, black, yellow, and white five-colored stones. She had smelted the first four colors but could not produce the white stone. The third young man, holding the sky with his head and with hands akimbo, shouted: "Sister Nüwa, there is white stone beneath my feet—come and quarry it!" Nüwa saw that quarrying the white stone from beneath his feet would make it even harder for him to hold up the sky, and she could not bear it. The third young man said anxiously: "The sky is about to collapse—what is there to fear!" Nüwa had no choice but to take up hammer and chisel and began quarrying the white stone with a clanging sound. By the time the white stone was quarried, the third young man's face was already coated with a layer of white rock dust. And so, the three men's faces became red, black, and white.
Nüwa smelted the five-colored stones for a full thousand years. When she had mended the sky and went to call the three young men who had held it up, they had already turned into three great camphor trees growing there. Because "camphor" (zhang) is homophonous with "Zhang," the descendants of the Zhang family came to believe that these three sky-holding heroes were the ancestors of the Zhang clan. To thank the three lords who had saved all under heaven from suffering, the Zhang family decided to cut down the three camphor trees and carve them into deity statues, so that future generations would remember them forever. They sawed each camphor tree into three sections, then rolled the nine sections of log from a hilltop down into the mountain valley, chanting a verse: "Whichever three sections stand upright, we shall choose them for the statues!" When the logs rolled down into the valley, indeed three sections stood upright. They used these three camphor sections to carve three deity statues. The three statues' faces were painted red, black, and white respectively. Their postures also differed: the red-faced one held up his right hand and akimbo with his left; the black-faced one raised both hands toward heaven; the white-faced one stood with both hands akimbo. Thereafter, the Tujia people of Zhangjiajie worshipped these three deities as household gods, honoring them as the "Three Lords of Zhang Family," and sacrificed to them generation after generation.
Wen Tian Tai (Heaven-Questioning Terrace)
Legend has it that Qu Yuan was framed by treacherous ministers and exiled to the Yuan and Li river region. Qu Yuan was especially enchanted by the picturesque scenery of the Li River, and he praised it repeatedly in his poems.
Later he heard people say that Qingyan Mountain (present-day Wulingyuan) north of the Li River was the true earthly paradise. So he took Chanjuan and, in a small boat, sailed upstream from the Lou River into the Suo Stream and entered the heart of Qingyan Mountain. One day, the party arrived at the mouth of Baipu Gorge (present-day Monkey Park), when suddenly they saw in the distance a solitary stone peak rising above the clouds, with a platform on top about the size of two rooms. They saw clouds and rosy mists rising, with purple vapors shooting straight up to the stars. Qu Yuan was astonished and asked what place this was. The fisherman told him: "This is where immortals ascend to heaven." Qu Yuan said indignantly: "I have many things to ask the Heavenly Emperor—let's go!" And with that, he leaped from the boat. The fisherman said: "How can a mortal go there? You would have to climb nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine stone steps—do you dare?" Qu Yuan said: "Even if it were a hundred thousand or a million steps, I would still climb up!"
The fisherman was deeply moved, and used his wooden oar to clear the thorns ahead, drive away venomous snakes, and frighten off fierce beasts. They passed through the Southern Heavenly Gate, crossed Wolong Ridge, and came to the foot of that stone peak. The stone peak was a sheer cliff on all sides—where was any heavenly ladder? Qu Yuan rolled up his sleeves, grabbed the ancient vines in the crevices, and climbed step by step, frightening Chanjuan into crying out for her master to be careful. Strangely enough, at that moment a flock of mountain birds suddenly flew over and surrounded Qu Yuan, beating their five-colored wings to fan him. Qu Yuan felt as if he were riding on clouds and mist, and lightly floated up to the stone platform. Once on the platform, the heavenly ladder had been withdrawn by the immortals. Undaunted, Qu Yuan raised his head to heaven and shouted loudly:
"O Heaven above! O Heaven above! There are many things I cannot understand. If you truly have a spirit, then please answer me!" And so, word by word, tear by tear, he began to question:
"At the beginning of ancient times, who passed down the way? Before heaven and earth took form, how could they be examined? In the dark and murky gloom, who could fathom it? In the swirling images, how could they be recognized? Bright and dark, what is the purpose? Yin, yang, and the third, what is the origin and what the transformation..."
That resounding voice pierced through the clouds and rose straight to the ninth heaven. When the Heavenly Emperor heard Qu Yuan's questions, he was dumbstruck and had no words to answer. He hastily ordered the Southern Heavenly Gate to be shut. Then he sent the Cloud God to spread thick clouds, commanded the Rain Master to pour down torrential rain, and ordered the Wind Earl to whip up a gale. In an instant, fierce winds howled, thunder roared and lightning flashed, rain poured in torrents, and heaven and earth went dark. Qu Yuan's hat was blown off, his long robe was soaked, his long sword was bent—yet he was not the least afraid, still standing there like a rock, crying out to heaven. His voice echoed through the three mountains and five sacred peaks, and spread across the five lakes and four seas.
To cover his own ears and eyes and frighten off Qu Yuan who questioned heaven, the Heavenly Emperor sent wind for three days and three nights, thunder for three days and three nights, and rain for three days and three nights. Yet Qu Yuan kept on questioning without pause. He asked heaven, asked earth, asked man, asked gods, asked ghosts, asked of fortune, asked of misfortune, asked of beauty, asked of ugliness, asked of loyalty, asked of treachery, asked of the changes of nature, asked of the mysteries of the underworld, asked of the chaotic world, asked of the unjust society...
Qu Yuan's cries startled the mountain birds flying over the thousands of peaks and valleys of Qingyan Mountain. They gathered from all directions, spreading their beautiful wings to shield Qu Yuan from wind and rain. Thus Qu Yuan questioned for three days and three nights, raising more than one hundred and eighty questions in three hundred and sixty categories. Finally, with tears streaming down his face, Qu Yuan asked:
"Hiding in caves, what can I say? The glory of Jing raised armies—how long could it last? If one repents and reforms, what more is there for me to say?"
The Heavenly Emperor was moved by Qu Yuan's fervent patriotism. So he called off the wind, rain, thunder, and lightning, opened the Southern Heavenly Gate, and the hundred-li Qingyan Mountain finally saw light again.
After the rain cleared over Qingyan Mountain, the sea of clouds rolled and surged, beating against the sheer cliffs of the stone peaks. This wondrous sight was later called the "West Sea." At this moment, the fisherman saw Qu Yuan and Chanjuan treading upon the waves, drifting away toward the dense forest of Tianzi Mountain.
It is said that later Qu Yuan recorded his more than one hundred and eighty questions to heaven, which became the timeless masterpiece "Tian Wen" (Heavenly Questions). The stone platform where he questioned heaven was later called "Wen Tian Tai" (Heaven-Questioning Terrace)—the most famous scenic spot in Suoxiyu today, known as "Tian Tai."