Hēidì () or Hēishén (), who is the Běidì (,

Cantonese Cantonese is the traditional prestige variety of Yue Chinese, a Sinitic language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. It originated in the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) and its surrounding Pearl River Delta. While th ...

: ''Pak Tai'') or Běiyuèdàdì (), is a

deity A deity or god is a supernatural being considered to be sacred and worthy of worship due to having authority over some aspect of the universe and/or life. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines ''deity'' as a God (male deity), god or god ...

in Chinese religion, one of the cosmological " Five Forms of the Highest Deity" (). He is also identified as ''

Zhuānxū Zhuanxu (), also known as Gaoyang (), was a Chinese mythology, mythological emperor of China, emperor of History of China#Ancient China, ancient China. In the traditional account recorded by Sima Qian, Zhuanxu was a grandson of the Yellow Empero ...

'' (), today frequently worshipped as '' Xuánwǔ'' () or ''Zhēnwǔ'' (), and is associated with the essence of water and winter. His animal form is the Black Dragon and his stellar animal is the tortoise-snake. By virtue of his association with the north, he has been identified and revered frequently as a representation of the supreme God of Heaven. His planet is Mercury. His animal form is the Black Dragon and his stellar animal is the tortoise-snake.

Taoist myths involving the Black Deity

Taoist Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ...

title of Heidi is the "Dark (or Mysterious) Heavenly Highest Deity" (). According to a myth, during the fall of the Shang, the Demon King ravaged the world, so that Yuanshi Tianzun ordered the

Jade Emperor In the Chinese mythology, myths and Chinese folk religion, folk religion of Chinese culture, the Jade Emperor or Yudi is one of the representations of the Primordial Divinity (Tai Di), primordial god. In Taoist theology, he is the assistant of ...

to appoint Heidi as the commander of twelve heavenly legions to fight this evil. Heidi defeated the Demon King and was subsequently granted the title of Mysterious Heavenly Highest Deity. In temples dedicated to him, the bronze tortoise and serpent under the feet of his image signify that the good always prevails over evil.Chinese Temples Committee website: Brief Description of Main Deities
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Festivals

* The day for celebration of Heidi across China is his birthday, on lunar April 21. * A festival is held on the island of

Taipa Taipa ( zh, t=氹仔, ; , ) is an area in Macau, connected to Coloane through the area known as Cotai, which is largely built from reclaimed land. Located on the northern half of the island, Taipa's population is mostly suburban. Administrativ ...

Macau Macau or Macao is a special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most List of countries and dependencies by p ...

. The celebration at the Pak Tai Temple includes an opera-styled performance * Annual Bun Festival in

Cheung Chau Cheung Chau (; ) is an outlying island of Hong Kong, located southwest of Hong Kong Island. It is also called Dumbbell Island () due to its dumbbell-like shape. It has been inhabited for longer than most other places in Hong Kong, and had ...

Island,

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

, held in front of the Pak Tai Temple.

Temples in Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, it is worshipped among other places in: ''Note :'' A territory-wide grade reassessment of historic buildings is ongoing. The grades listed in the table are based on these update

(8 June 2023). The temples with a "Not listed" status in the table below are not graded and do not appear in the list of historic buildings considered for grading.

References

;Sources * *

External links

* {{Wufang Shangdi Chinese gods Mercurian deities Wufang Shangdi

Taoist myths involving the Black Deity

Festivals

Temples in Hong Kong

See also

References

External links