According to a legend, a
scholar as conspicuous for his literary attainments as for his ugle appearance,
happened to come out first tripos in the metropolitan
examination. It was customary for the emperor to present personally a golden
rose to the successful candidate. A man named Kw’ei 魁 advanced to receive the coveted gift, but as
his features were so repulsive, the emperor refused to hand him the golden rose,
whereupon he withdrew in prey to intense sadness, and sought to commit suicide
by leaping into a river. As he was on the point of being drowned, a mysterious
monster known as a “Kwaken”, or Ngao 鼇, took him on its back, and soon brought him
to the surface. Kw’ei 魁 was thus rescued from an untimely death, and ascending to the Polar
regions, become the superintendant of the literati.
Taoists invented the above legend, and have made of Kw’ei-sing
魁星 a stellar god.
At first, a certain star in Andromeda was worshipped as the
God of Literature, and a pictorial representation of it was set up in temples.
The star Kw’ei, says the “Records of Daily Jottings”,
Jeh-chi-luh日矢錄（按：應為「日知錄」）, is the palace of Wen-ch’ang 文昌,the God of Literature. But how the worship
of Wen-ch’ang 文昌 was transferred to his palace has never been sufficiently
elucidated, and remains a mystery down to the present day.
Later on, the problem of representing this stellar god was
raised. A simple character was deemed inadequate to satisfy the cravings of
popular fancy, to which sensible forms more generally appeal. Struck, it would
seem, by the similarity of pronunciation between the star Kw’ei 奎, and another Kw’ei 魁, one of the four stars in the trapezium of
the Great Bear, the latter was confounded with the former. Peh-teu-sing 北斗星, because it resembles the shape of this
measuring vessel.
On considering the component parts of the character Kw’ei魁, painters and artists ingeniously arranged
the strokes in imitation of a person of demon-like aspect, holding in his right
hand an immense pencil, and having one foot raised, while the other kicks the
Dipper. Henceforth, it was under this form that the worship of Kw’ei-sing 魁星, or the star Kw’ei 魁, spread throughout the country.
When a youthful student succeeds at an examination, his
friends and well-wishers frequently offer him a picture of Kw’ei-sing 魁星, represented as above described. The
generality of the literati set up in their homes a picture of this stellar god.
Even at times the officials issue decrees exhorting the literati to have
recourse to the god, and beg him help in raising the literary standard of the
locality. In the district of Mengch’eng, Meng-ch’eng-hsien 蒙城縣, in Nganhwei 安徽, as there were no provincial graduates for
over 60 years, the magistrate exhorted the literati to fervently worship Kw’ei-sing
魁星, bur so far success failed to crown their efforts. Kw’ei-sing 魁星 is considered as the heavenly bestower of
literary honours, and is invoked in order to pass a successful examination. A
small temple is erected to him on the Eastern side of the entrance to all
Confucian temples.
The following extract from the work Lang-yeh tai-tsui-pien琅琊代酒編, and others, shows how the worship of this
stellar god originated, and was subsequently spread among the literati and
people. In the time of the Sung 宋 dynasty (11th and 12th century), a fierce
conflict arose between the innovator Wang Ngan-shih 王安石 and his opponents, and many worthy
officials of the latter party were banished to the remostest parts of the empire.
The famous poet and essayist Su Wen-chung 蘇文忠, and the historian Sze-ma Kwang 司馬光, were at first in great favour with the
emperor Cheh-tsung 哲宗 (A.D. 1086-1101). Hwei-tsung 徽宗 (A.D. 1101-1126), his successor, at the
instigation of Ts’ai-king 蔡京, an abettor of Wang Ngan-shih 王安石, favoured the reformers, and in order to show
his appreciation of them, he caused a stone tablet to be erected at the door of
the palace, on which had been cut a decree assailing the memory of Sze-ma Kwang
司馬光, and condemning his administration. The Statue of the great
historian was also broken and his books burned, while the foremost men of the
day, many of them his disciples, were banished to distant parts of the empire.
Hwei-tsung 徽宗 (A.D. 1101-1126), as is well known, was a most superstitious ruler,
entirely in the hands of Taoist mystics, who made him believe the most
extravagant fancies. One day, as the emperor, accompanied by his whole Court,
proceeded to the “Hall of Precious Records”, Pao-luh-kung 寶籙宮, and worshipped there according to Taoist
rites, the officiating minister remained prostrate in prayer for an exceeding
long time, whereupon the assistants grew rather impatient. At last, the emperor
questioned them on the reason of such a prolonged ceremony.—“During the office, replied they, we
approached the throne of Shang-ti 上帝, the Supreme Ruler, and begged the honour of an interview; but the
stellar god Kw’ei-sing 奎星 had preceded us, and so we had to wait until he had presented his
petition, and obtained an answer”.—“And what kind of petition did Kw’er-sing 奎星present to the Supreme Ruler, added the
emperor”?—“At least, you can tell me, said the emperor, who this stellar god
is “?— “Yes, we can, replied the Taoists. He is the famous scholar Su
Wen-chung蘇文忠, a native of Mei Chow 眉州, in Szech’wan 四川, a man who displayed rare ability in the time of the emperor
Cheh-tsung 哲宗 (A.D. 1086-1101). Terrified at this starling revelation, Hwei-tsung
徽宗 withdrew the decrees issued formerly against Sze-ma Kwang 司馬光, Su Wen-chung 蘇文忠 and others of their party, and allowed
their works to be read by all his subjects.
Another Taoist, the famous Lun Ling-su 林靈素, ingratiated himself with
the emperor, and so succeeded in perverting his good sense, that he led him to
adopt all kinds of imaginary deities, and believe in the most extravagant
tales. The emperor and his Court assisted at lectures given before them by this
cunning imposter. Lin Ling-su 林靈素
became so arrogant, that one day, he refused to yield the road
the the cortege of the Heir Apparent. This sealed his doom, and compelled the
emperor to finally dismiss him from Court. Before departing, however, he was
honoured with an Imperial banquet given to hime in the Great Pure Hall, T’ai-ts’ing-leu
太清樓. On leaving the palace, he noticed the stone tablet erected near
the door, inscribed with the names of 120 famous statesmen and scholars, who
opposed the schemes of the innovator Wang Ngan-shih 王安石, and were on that account banished to the
extremities of the empire. Bowing before the monument, he wished these men a
last farewell. The emperor was much perplexed over this strange proceeding, and
asked hime why he so acted. Your Majesty, replied he, should not be surprised
in seeing me honour the names of these men, as they are all as many stellar
gods, who dwell in the highest heavens. This incident alone, says the author of
the “Development of Historic Annals”, Kang-muh kwang-i 綱目廣義, exhibits the extreme credulity of
Hwei-tsung 徽宗, and the extent to which he was infatuated with Taoist
superstitions.
From what has been stated above, the reader may see that the
dignity of God of Literature has been transferred from Wen-ch’ang 文昌, to his place in the constellation Kw’ei 奎, or Andromeda: then from this constellation
to that of the Great Bear, also called Kw’ei 魁, because the conformation of the latter
allowed artists to draw this stellar god in human form, with one foot raised,
and holding a pencil in his right hand. It is for this quaint reason that the
first constellation was abandoned, while the second has been worshipped as a
god. Such is the silly basis upon which is founded the worship of China’s God
of Literatue.
Among the illustrations here annexed, representing Kw’ei-sing
魁星, n0 9 is an ingenious disposition of the eight
characters written at the foot of the image: K’oh-ki fuh-li cheng-sin siu-shen克己復禮正心修身, that is “subdue oneself and return
to propriety; rectify the mind and cultivate the person”.
The first four characters are from the Analects, Lun-yu論語, while the four last are taken from the “Great
Learnging”, Ta-hsioh 大學.
Illustration n0 10 represents Kw’ei-sing
魁星 and the Red Coat, Chu-i 朱衣, both in the inset at the top; while Wen-ch’ang
文昌, the God of Literature, and Kwan-ti 關帝, the God of War, may be seen riding down at
the foot of the picture. This latter god is also much honoured by the literati.
Illustration n0 11 represents the “Kraken”, or
Ngao 鼇, a fabulous sea-monster, which rescued Kw’ei-sing 魁星 from the watery depths.
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