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The
Kitchen-god
 Tsao
Chün is a Taoist invention, but is universally worshipped by all families
in China—about sixty millions of pictures of him are regularly worshipped
twice a month—at new and full moon. “His temple is a little niche in the
brick cooking-range; his palace is often filled with smoke; and his Majesty
sells for one farthing.” He is also called ‘the God of the Stove.’ The
origin of his worship, according to the legend, is that a Taoist priest, Li
Shao-chün by name, of the Ch’i State, obtained from the Kitchen-god the
double favour of exemption from growing old and of being able to live
without eating. He then went to the Emperor Hsiao Wu-ti (140–86 B.C.) Page
167of the Han dynasty, and promised
that credulous monarch that he should benefit by the powers of the god
provided that he would consent to patronize and encourage his religion. It
was by this means, he added, that the Emperor Huang Ti obtained his
knowledge of alchemy, which enabled him to make gold.
The
Emperor asked the priest to bring him his divine patron, and one night the
image of Tsao Chün appeared to him.
Deceived
by this trick, dazzled by the ingots of gold which he too should obtain, and
determined to risk everything for the pill of immortality which was among
the benefits promised, the Emperor made a solemn sacrifice to the God of the
Kitchen.
This
was the first time that a sacrifice had been officially offered to this new
deity.
Li
Shao-chün gradually lost the confidence of the Emperor and, at his wits’
end, conceived the plan of writing some phrases on a piece of silk and then
causing them to be swallowed by an ox. This done, he announced that a
wonderful script would be found in the animal’s stomach. The ox being
killed, the script was found there as predicted, but Li’s unlucky star
decreed that the Emperor should recognize his handwriting, and he was
forthwith put to death. Nevertheless, the worship of the Kitchen-god
continued and increased, and exists in full vigour down to the present day.
This
deity has power over the lives of the members of each family under his
supervision, distributes riches and poverty at will, and makes an annual
report to the Supreme Being on the conduct of the family during the year,
for which purpose he is usually absent for from four to seven days. Some
hold that he also makes these reports once or twice or several times each
month. Various ceremonies are performed on seeing him off to Heaven and
welcoming him back. One of the former, as we saw, is to regale him with
honey, so that only sweet words, if any, may be spoken by him while up
aloft!
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