Xiongdi Gong (

Hanzi Chinese characters are logographs used to write the Chinese languages and others from regions historically influenced by Chinese culture. Of the four independently invented writing systems accepted by scholars, they represent the only one ...

=兄弟公;

pinyin Hanyu Pinyin, or simply pinyin, officially the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet, is the most common romanization system for Standard Chinese. ''Hanyu'' () literally means 'Han Chinese, Han language'—that is, the Chinese language—while ''pinyin' ...

=''xiōngdì gōng'';

Hokkien Hokkien ( , ) is a Varieties of Chinese, variety of the Southern Min group of Chinese language, Chinese languages. Native to and originating from the Minnan region in the southeastern part of Fujian in southeastern China, it is also referred ...

=Ya Ti Kong) or 108 Saints (Hainan 108 Brothers) are the protector deities of seafarers. They are usually worshiped along with

Shui Wei Sheng Niang Shui Wei Sheng Niang (; pinyin: ''Shuǐ wěi shèng niáng''; Thai language, Thai: ''เจ้าแม่ท้ายน้ำ'', ''จุ้ยบ้วยเนี้ย'') is a Hainan Shen (Chinese religion), goddess that is worshiped by the ...

at Chinese temples near the sea by fishermen or seafarers. Their altar usually contains only one red faced scholar statue. Xiongdi Gong greatly affected the spiritual life in

Hainan Hainan is an island provinces of China, province and the southernmost province of China. It consists of the eponymous Hainan Island and various smaller islands in the South China Sea under the province's administration. The name literally mean ...

. Their cult has spread around the world along with the immigrants from Hainan and has become a part of Hainan's identity.

History

The People of China were suffering under the

imperialism Imperialism is the maintaining and extending of Power (international relations), power over foreign nations, particularly through expansionism, employing both hard power (military and economic power) and soft power (diplomatic power and cultura ...

of the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

which triggered the Chinese

diaspora A diaspora ( ) is a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of birth, place of origin. The word is used in reference to people who identify with a specific geographic location, but currently resi ...

. In the time of

Xianfeng Emperor The Xianfeng Emperor (17 July 1831 – 22 August 1861), also known by his temple name Emperor Wenzong of Qing, personal name Yizhu, was the eighth emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the seventh Qing emperor to rule over China proper. During his re ...

(1831–1861), many people from Hainan went to Annam (now

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

) to earn money for their families. 109 men of Hainan planned to go home. Other Hainan peoples who were left in Annam entrusted their savings or valuables to those 109 men to take back to their families. On their way back across the sea,

pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...

s captured their ships, took their belongings, and killed all but one man, the cook, who managed to survive by hiding under the deck. After the incident, there was a storm along the coast of Vietnam and a flock of

crow A crow is a bird of the genus ''Corvus'', or more broadly, a synonym for all of ''Corvus''. The word "crow" is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term "raven" is not linked scientifically to any certain trait but is rathe ...

s was observed crowding the king's palace. The king's seer said that those crows foretold a great crime which had gone unpunished. After a long search, the king heard a news about a pirate who had been captured at the market. One of Hainan people recognized the ring that the stranger had, the same ring that had been entrusted to the 109 Hainan for the wedding gift of his brother. After a fight, both of them were arrested and the stranger admitted his crime. The king ordered the capture of the rest of the pirates and confiscated their loot. After that, the king performed a ritual prayer to ask for peace for the souls of the 108 Hainan brothers. Then the flock of crows left his palace. When the tragedy of the 108 Hainan brothers reached Hainan, the local people built a memorial temple for them. Annually, they commemorate the day of their death on the 27th day of the 5th lunar month. The Hainan people worship them as the protectors of seafarers. Seafarers who want to go abroad usually pray to Xiongdi Gong and bring a cook as their witness.

References

External links

*{{Commonscatinline Chinese gods Sea and river deities Folk saints Tutelary deities

History

See also

References

External links