Liu Mengjiang (Locust-Expelling God)

Liu Mengjiang is a deity widely worshipped across Jiangnan as the divine protector against locust plagues, affectionately known as 'Lord Mengjiang'. His historical prototype remains debated: some identify him with Liu Qi, a celebrated Southern Song general who resisted the Jin dynasty, while others trace him to Liu Chengzhong, a Yuan-dynasty military commander from the Jianghuai region—both revered for having successfully suppressed locust outbreaks and safeguarded the people. During the Qing dynasty, Liu Mengjiang was officially enshrined in the state sacrificial canon, prompting the construction of Liu Mengjiang Temples in every provincial capital, prefectural seat, and county town; in Jiangnan’s water towns, the custom grew even more pervasive, with nearly every village erecting a Mengjiang Hall and nearly every household installing a domestic shrine to him. The 13th day of the 1st lunar month is traditionally observed as Liu Mengjiang’s birthday; in the Wu region, farmers carry his image in festive processions accompanied by thunderous gongs and drums and blazing torches—a celebration known as the 'Mengjiang Festival'. As locust infestations posed one of antiquity’s gravest agricultural threats, Liu Mengjiang embodies the deepest hopes of farmers for thriving crops and secure harvests.