Chinese Myth Figures 中国神话人物 21 The God of Land 土地神

The God of Land, commonly known as “Lord of Land”, “Land Master” or “Land Divinity”, may be the lowest-ranking and most unnoticed god of all divinities, but it’s one of the most-widely worshipped gods among the Chinese people. In the past, nearly all households enshrined the God of Land, with temples of various sizes dedicated to the god scattered in urban and rural areas, attracting a large number of pilgrims.

The worship of Land God stems from the worship of land in remote antiquity. In ancient agricultural society, land was held in high esteem, because it produces agriculture, food and clothing. At that time, earth was piled up and respected as a god, to whom offerings were given and homage was paid. The Chinese character “tu” (earth, land) is shaped like a pile of earth on the ground.

The earliest land god in China was called “she” and sacrificial ceremonies in honor of the god were called “she ji”. These terms were recorded in the Classic of Poetry. The earliest land god was just a symbolic earth pile. Along with the development of social life, the color of nature worshipping gradually faded away and a lot of social functions were given to the God of Land, which became more and more personified. The earliest personified land god was Jiang Ziwen of the Han Dynasty, who was worshipped as the Land God of the Zhongshan Mountain in the Three Kingdoms Period.

There’s a roughly unified image of the God of Land enshrined by the people. It’s a benign-looking old man with gray hair and white beard, wearing a long robe and a black hat. In folk culture, a spouse called “Land Grandma” or “Land Granny” has been created to accompany the God of Land.