Jade Emperor

In Chinese religion, the supreme god of pantheistic Taoism, also known as the August Personage of Jade and Father Heaven, who watches over human actions and is the ruler of life and death. His court inspects the earth annually, making a detailed account from which he apportions praise or blame; the gods could be promoted or lose their rank accordingly.

The Taoist concept of heaven is similar to the administrative hierarchy of late Taoist China. The Jade Emperor resides on the uppermost of innumerable levels, and the divine pantheon represents a great government divided into departments, each section ruled by a minister. Elevation and demotion results in constant change among the gods themselves although their sphere of function never alter. The emperor is the ultimate judge of appeal, and employs an army of heavenly soldiers to put down rebellions. He is usually depicted seated on a throne in ceremonial dress, holding the book of Imperial Etiquette. His green robes are embroidered with dragons, and his head is capped by a flat board decorated with 13 dangling pendants of coloured pearls. His wife is the Queen Mother Wang, a later version of the Lady-Queen of the West. The emperors of China used to make annual offerings of jade and silk to the Jade Emperor in the Temple of Heaven in Peking (modern Beiijing).

Origins Some historians believe that the Jade Emperor was an invention of Chen Tsung, an emperor of the Sung dynasty, who described dream-visits from Yu Huang, whom he designated as ‘the Great Ruler of Heaven’. Chen Tsung had lost prestige by ceding away valuable lands to the Tatars in 1005 AD, and may have decided to enhance his popularity and importance by creating a special liaison with a supreme deity.