Wu Kui (AD 979-1036), courtesy name Huaji, was born in Baijiao Township, Tong'an, Fujian Province, Northern Song Dynasty (today's Meibaijiao Village, Longhaijiao). He once served as the imperial physician of the Song Dynasty, and later he served as a doctor. He had noble medical ethics and was deeply respected by people. After his death, he was posthumously named Daozhenren and Baosheng Emperor by the imperial court. Villagers built temples to worship the god of medicine. He is the author of the book "Wu Kuo's Materia Medica". There are now hundreds of Baosheng Emperor ancestral halls dedicated to Wu Kui in mainland China and Taiwan.
A Brief Biography of Wu Kui, the God of Medicine
In Zhangzhou, Quanzhou, Xiamen on the southeast coast of China and Taiwan Island across the sea, as well as in Southeast Asia, there are many splendid Wu Kui temples with golden walls. Kui (Emperor Baosheng) palace and temple. During every year and festival, the palaces and temples are always crowded with people. The believers who come and go devoutly light a stick of cigarettes in front of Wu Kui (the Emperor Baosheng) and whisper in their mouths, hoping that Wu Kui (the Emperor Baosheng) )Bless your family to be safe, your children to go to school, your business to be smooth, and no illness or disaster...
Who is Wu Kui so sacred that he has won the worship of so many good men and women? People who don't understand this belief will mostly imagine Wu Kui as a god or Buddha in a mysterious fairyland far away above. In fact, Wu Kui was not a visitor from heaven who did not eat the fireworks of the world. Before he became a god, he was a real person, a folk doctor who lived in the Northern Song Dynasty a thousand years ago.
Regarding Wu Kuo’s activities during his lifetime, shortly after Wu Kuo’s death, Sun Yu, the tenth generation ancestor of the Xicun community in Gaolin Village, Xiamen, wrote "The Story of Danyue in the West Palace" in the second year of Yuanyou (1087) in the Northern Song Dynasty. , the article recalls the good interactions between his late father, Sun Tianxi, and Wu Kuo during his lifetime. Later, in the early 13th century, Jinshi, Guangzhou Biejia Yang Zhi and Zhangzhou Shouzhuang Xia respectively wrote the "Tzu Chi Palace Stele". Both inscriptions introduced in detail Wu Kuisheng's deeds after his death. In addition, the records of the "Baishi Ding Family Ancient Genealogy" found in Longhai also reveal relevant information about Wu Kui during his lifetime. Next, we will start with the records in the above-mentioned original documents to uncover the mysterious curtain shrouding Wu Kui.
According to the records of Yang Zhi and Zhuang Xia's "Tzu Chi Palace Stele", Wu Kui, whose father's name was Tong and whose mother was Huang, lived in Baijiao at the junction of Tong'an County, Quanzhou Prefecture and Haicheng County, Zhangzhou Prefecture. and Qingjiao area. Wu Kui was born on March 15, the fourth year of Taiping Xingguo (979), the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty, and died on the second day of May, the third year of Jingyou (1036), the reign of Emperor Renzong of the Song Dynasty. He was 58 years old. During his lifetime, Wu Kui was a folk doctor with excellent medical skills and noble medical ethics; at the same time, he also had a strong color of cultivating Taoism and learning immortality. For example, in "Tzu Chi Palace Stele" written by Yang Zhi, he believed that Wu Kui "was weak and could not be manipulated. He did not eat meat, and he did not marry when he was older. He only used to heal people. The pillow was placed behind the elbow, and he did not count it before he started." The disease that is cured will disappear quickly, and people from far and near will regard it as a miracle cure." It can be seen that Wu Kui did not eat meat or marry a wife during his lifetime, and his behavior was quite like a monk who strictly observed the precepts; and his superb medical skills in curing diseases also earned him the nickname "miracle doctor". In Zhuang Xia's writing, Wu Kui's Taoist-like doctor's character becomes more vivid and vivid. Wu Kui has been engaged in folk medical activities all his life. He has made great achievements in medical skills and has excellent curative effects. Moreover, sometimes Wu Kui also used some Taoist rituals to help patients solve their illnesses, and the effect was equally significant. Zhuang Xia's "Tzu Chi Palace Stele" states, "Tianjie medicine takes the whole life as the heart. Apply medicine according to the disease, like a broken arrow; or inhale and exhale water to drink the sick person, even if they are suffering from chronic illness, they will be cured." This is He will lift up those who are severe, those who are sick, and those who are suffering from gangrene, and they will be at his door every day." It is conceivable that if Wu Kui was willing, his superb medical skills could easily bring him wealth, wealth, and even fame. However, Wu Kui, who was simple by nature and indifferent to fame and fortune, did not regard his superb medical skills as a tool to pursue fame and wealth. Throughout his life, he was committed to relieving the people's suffering. Regarding the patients who came to seek medical treatment, Wu Kui did not distinguish between them. He "ignored the high and low, and focused on visual therapy. Everyone got what they wanted, and everyone from far and near regarded them as gods." Wu Kuo's noble medical ethics during his lifetime are clearly reflected here.
Sun Yu's "Xigong Tanyue Ji" also brings us some important information about Wu Kui's activities during his lifetime. In "The Story of Danyue in the West Palace", Sun Yu recalled in detail how his late father, Sun Tianxi, had good relations with each other after receiving medicine from Wu Kuai to cure his illness. In the fourth year of Emperor Renzong's reign (1026), Sun Tianxi fell ill from eating river fish and was nursed back to health in the Qishan Jushi Temple near his home. More than a month later, there was an alchemist named Pei, who called himself Yangzhen Laozi. He was more than 80 years old, but he was dressed in Taoist robes, had white hair and a childish face, and looked like a fairy.
Pei Yangzhen traveled to Jushi's nunnery and met Sun Tianxi. They chatted with each other and their words were extremely speculative. Not long after, Wu Wuzhen, who lived in Baijiao and was "known as a miraculous doctor", heard that Pei Yangzhen, who traveled around Qishan Jushi's nunnery, "had a wonderful understanding of the secrets of the gods and profound cultivation techniques" and was extremely accomplished in Taoism and immortality. , so he hurriedly waded across the river and came to visit and seek scriptures. When Pei Yangzhen saw Wu Wuzhen, he was impressed by his unusual appearance and conversation. He "knew he was extraordinary", and the two got very happy with each other. After becoming a close friend, Pei Yangzhen made no secret of what he had learned, and taught Wu Wuzhen everything he had learned, "teaching it in a mysterious way." While the two were getting along, Wu Wuzhen saw that Sun Tianxi had a sick look on his face, so he used his magic skills to treat Tianxi's illness. "It took three days to see results, half a month to calm down, and after three months, the limbs were strong and the color remained the same." After the recovery, Sun Tianxi was overjoyed and wanted to reward him with a hundred gold, but Wu Wuzhen refused. As a result, Sun and Wu also became close friends. After Pei Yangzhen left, the two continued to exchange messages.
Is Wu Wuzhen in Sun Yu’s article actually Wu Kuai? The answer is yes. Sun Yu's "The Story of Tan Yue in the West Palace" points out at the beginning, "There is the West Palace of Wu here, just like there is the ancestral palace in Baijiao. Baijiao is the hometown of Wu Gong, and the West Palace is the starting point for Wu Gong to gain enlightenment." Baijiao is the birthplace of Wu Wuzhen, and there is an ancestral palace dedicated to Wu Wuzhen. These two roughly indicate that Wu Wuzhen and Wu Kuo should be the same person. What is important is that when the descendants of the Sun family rebuilt their genealogy, they added a supplementary note at the end of the "Xigong Tanyue Ji", "Wu Zhen was born on the 15th day of the third month of the fourth year of Taiping Xingguo in the Song Dynasty, and died in the Song Dynasty. On the second day of the fifth lunar month in the third year of Renzong Jingyou's Bingzi year, it has been granted sixteen times." From this point of view, Wu Wuzhen is Wu Kui, and Wuzhen may be the Taoist name he used when practicing Taoism. Judging from the story recalled by Sun Yu, Wu Kui was very interested in Taoist alchemy during his lifetime. After hearing the news about Pei Yangzhen, he worked tirelessly to cross the Jiulong River from Baijiao to Xiamen to visit him. At the same time, Wu Kui's medical skills are also very good. Faced with Sun Tianxi's disease that had not improved for more than a month, he applied medicine and treated it, and it took three days to see results. Moreover, Wu Kui had noble medical ethics. When Sun Tianxi rewarded him with a hundred gold, he was not obsessed with money, but accepted it calmly.
In addition, some information about Wu Kui's lifetime was also left in the "Baishi Ding Family Ancient Genealogy". Before his death, Ding Qian, the third ancestor of the Ding tribe in Longhai, left a will in which he encouraged his descendants to do good deeds, save money and give to others in the form of poetry. His fourth son, Ding Zu, also narrated the will. During the reign of Renzong in the Northern Song Dynasty, the ethnic group asked Wu Kui to record his will and narrate it in the ancestral hall: "In the reign of Renzong in the Song Dynasty, Wu Zhenjun recorded this hymn and narrated it in the ancestral hall with the good books of the whole family, so as to abide by the rules for the world. The title at the end of the list It says: On the auspicious day of the twelfth lunar month in the fifth year of Tiansheng, Wu Kuo, the Busuo of Puyang in the Quanjiao River, was ordered to worship the book." Judging from Wu Kuo's signature, the "Puyang" he signed should be his hometown, and "Quanjiaojiang" should refer to Baijiao, Tong'an, because Tong'an was under the jurisdiction of Quanzhou in the old days. This record provides strong evidence for the claim that Wu Kui was born in Baijiao. Moreover, as a large local clan, the Ding people would ask Wu Kuai to help record the admonitions left by their ancestors in the ancestral hall in the form of good calligraphy. He is also proficient in Taoist calligraphy, so he is highly relied upon by the Ding people.
Concerning Wu Kui's death, Zhuang Xia's "Tzu Chi Palace Stele" only mentions "died at home". However, after the local people learned about Wu Kui's death, they felt that they had lost a good doctor with superb medical skills and noble medical ethics, and they were extremely sad. In order to commemorate Wu Kui, people voluntarily built a simple small temple - Longqiu'an on Qingjiao where Wu Kui collected medicine and made elixirs during his lifetime. They worshiped the statue of Wu Kui, called him the real medical spirit, and prayed devoutly. Strangely enough, after patients worship at Longqiu'an, their illnesses are often cured without medicine. It seems that Wu Kuo's spirit in heaven is still protecting his hometown people. As a result, the news spread from ten to ten, and people from all over the country came to Longqiu'an to worship Wu Kuo in order to recover from his illness. The results were equally obvious. Yang Zhi also recorded this strange incident in the "Tzu Chi Palace Stele", "After that, the supernatural benefits came. The people had sores, scabies and scabies, so they did not go to the doctors, but only the marquis asked for help. Take a pinch of salt in a bowl of water, and draw a horizontal sword. In front of him, he burned incense and prayed silently, and his illness was gone."
During the Southern Song Dynasty in Shaoxing, a group of arrogant thieves broke into the Baiqingjiao area. The local victims had no choice but to enter the temple to pray for Wu Kuo's protection. Soon, the officers and soldiers killed the leader, General Li San, in a fight with the thieves, and the remaining bandits were also captured one after another. In order to thank Wu Kui for his help, Yan Shilu, a member of the Yan clan in Qingjiao who was the Minister of Civil Affairs at that time, petitioned the court to build a temple in Qingjiao. So in the 21st year of Shaoxing in the Southern Song Dynasty (1151), the simple and narrow Longqiu Temple was expanded into the majestic Qingjiao Tzu Chi Palace (Tzu Chi East Palace).
In the same year, the people of Baijiao also voluntarily built a temple to worship Wu Kui. This is the Baijiao Tzu Chi Palace (Tzu Chi West Palace). The east and west palaces were built together in the 21st year of Shaoxing to worship Wu Kui respectively for the people of Zhangzhou and Quanzhou. The theory that Baijiao Tzu Chi Palace is earlier than Qingjiao Tzu Chi Palace originated from the myth of Zhao Gou's "mud horse crossing the river" in the Southern Song Dynasty, which is not supported by evidence.
After the construction of Baijiao Tzu Chi Palace and Qingjiao Tzu Chi Palace, it seemed that they were satisfied with the offerings of believers. Wu Kuo appeared many times to help local people. At that time, Liang Kejia, a native of Jinjiang, was the prime minister. He visited the temple in his hometown and found that Wu Kui had extraordinary miraculous effects, so he asked the court for a temple grant, and the court awarded him the word "Tzu Chi". In the Yimao year of Qingyuan (1195), the imperial court granted Wu Kui the title of Zhongxian Marquis. In the third year of Kaixi (1207), there was a severe drought in the Zhang and Quan areas, and the red land stretched for hundreds of miles. People in Baijiao worshiped Wu Kui, and heavy rains occurred frequently. Then, a large number of bandits wanted to enter Kou Baijiao, but suddenly they saw the magic soldiers with the banner of "Zhongxianhou" blocking them, so they panicked but ran away. The people of Baijiao reported these miracles to the imperial court, and the imperial court decreed that Wu Kui be the Marquis of Yinghui. In the third year of Emperor Lizong's Baoqing reign (1227), Wu Kui was granted the title of Marquis Kangyou. In the second year of Duanping (1235), he was granted the title of Linghuhou. In the third year of Jiaxi (1239), Jin was granted the title of Zhengyou Gong. In the fourth year of Jiaxi (1240), Zhao Ya, the imperial censor, believed that Wu Kui was kind and helpful to the world and was not greedy for fame and fortune. He wrote to the court and begged to remove his title of duke and marquis and change his title to a real person. With the permission of the imperial court, he was granted the title of Chong Ying Zhenren. In the first year of Chunyou (1241), the imperial court issued an edict to transform the temple into a palace, and the Bai and Qingjiao Tzu Chi Temples were renamed Tzu Chi Palace. In the following years, the imperial court added more titles. By the first year of Deyou (1275), the titles had accumulated to the six characters of "Fu Hui Miao Dao Pu You Zhenjun".
In the Song Dynasty, with the development and spread of the belief in Emperor Baosheng, Wu Kuosheng’s deeds began to be deliberately exaggerated and constantly deified by believers. Therefore, the vague image of Wu Kui in the above-mentioned Song Dynasty literary records gradually became lively and distinct.
After the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, the spread of Baosheng Emperor's faith expanded and showed a trend of blooming everywhere, and the number of palaces and temples dedicated to Baosheng Emperor in various places also skyrocketed. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the belief in Emperor Baosheng had spread out of Fujian and spread to Taiwan, the treasure island across the sea, and to Southeast Asia. According to research by Taiwanese scholars, the earliest Baosheng Emperor temple in Taiwan recorded in documents should be the Daogong Temple in Guangchudongli, Tainan County, which was built during the Dutch occupation of Taiwan. Wang Bichang's "Reconstruction of Taiwan County Chronicles" records: "The Dutch According to Taiwan, when trading with the Zhangquan people, a temple was built in Guangchudongli!" Since then, Zheng Chenggong's entry into Taiwan, as well as the many surges of Fujian people relocating to Taiwan after the Qing Dynasty unified Taiwan, have strongly promoted Baosheng Emperor's belief! spread in Taiwan. Today, the belief in Emperor Baosheng has developed into a strong local god belief in Taiwan. According to statistics from the Taiwan Emperor Baosheng Temple Association in 2001, there are 264 temples in Taiwan where Emperor Baosheng worships the same emperor (excluding temples that have not joined the association). At this point, all administrative divisions in Taiwan, except Keelung City, have more or less temples dedicated to Emperor Baosheng. The activities of Zhang and Quan merchants in Southeast Asia during the Ming and Qing Dynasties also prompted Emperor Baosheng's faith to go abroad and settle in vast foreign lands. For example, when the Tianfu Temple in Singapore was completed in the 19th year of Daoguang's reign (1839), Emperor Baosheng was one of the main gods. In the 10th year of Xianfeng's reign (1860), Chen Zonghuai, the Chinese leader in Semarang, specially customized a statue of Emperor Baosheng in the mainland and returned it to the local Dajue Temple for worship. In addition, there are also many palaces and temples dedicated to Emperor Baosheng in other Southeast Asian countries.