Gaomei (Primordial Matchmaker God)

Gaomei is China’s most ancient deity of marriage and fertility. His name appears in classical texts such as the Book of Rites and the Book of Songs; by the Zhou dynasty, the Son of Heaven led his consorts in ritual sacrifices to Gaomei at suburban shrines during the mid-spring month, praying for abundant imperial progeny—a rite known as the Mei Sacrifice. According to ancient legend, Nüwa prayed at a sacred shrine and, having been appointed divine matchmaker, instituted marriage; thus, later generations also identified Nüwa as Gaomei. The folk custom of purifying oneself by water-side rituals during the Shangsi Festival derives directly from the vestiges of the Mei Sacrifice. Gaomei was sometimes worshipped through a stone cult object, sometimes paired with ancestral figures; throughout history, he was variously called Jiao Mei (Suburban Mei) or venerated in temples dedicated to Jiangyuan. As the primordial source of beliefs concerning conception, childbirth, and marital matchmaking, Gaomei inaugurated the lineage of later deities including Yuelao (the Moon Elder), Zhang Xian, and the Child-Giving Goddess.