Historical Studies (Chinese Edition)

No.6, 2017

 

Popular and Military Worship of the Three Immortals and Belief in the Martyrs in the Song Dynasty (Abstract)

 

Wang Yuanlin and Sun Tinglin

 

In the Song Dynasty, the army’s and the people’s belief in the Martyrs offered spiritual support for the task of rescuing the dynasty, with the army being one of the major groups spreading this belief. In the Northern Song, worship of the Three Immortals originated in Pingxia City in Jingyuan Circuit; the three later became the widely worshipped protecting deities of the Shaanxi army. In the early Southern Song, victory in the battle of Heshangyuan led to the Three Immortals being granted a temple plaque saying “Honored and Faithful” and being given four-character title. Under the direction of Zhang Jun, Yang Cunzhong and other Shaanxi generals, a temple to the three was built in Lin’an. Belief in the Three Immortals was widespread in parts of Zhejiang and Jiangsu and in the area between Sichuan and Shaanxi. When the enemy threatened, they were the gods to whom one prayed for protection. To encourage loyalty to the state, the Three Immortals became the Three Martyrs—Gao Yongneng, Cheng Bogu and Jing Siyi. The Three Immortals’ metamorphosis into the Three Martyrs and the long life of this belief is a concentrated expression of the state’s use of such beliefs to commend the virtue of loyalty to the army and the people. Their spread was closely related to factors including the advocacy of important generals, the movement of the army and the people, and victories in the war.