Door God Qin Qiong

Qin Qiong, courtesy name Shubao, was a celebrated founding general of the early Tang dynasty and one of the Twenty-four Meritorious Officials enshrined in the Lingyan Pavilion, famed throughout the realm for his valour, loyalty, and integrity. According to the classic novel Journey to the West and widespread folk legend, Emperor Taizong of Tang suffered sleepless nights after being haunted by the vengeful ghost of the Jinghe Dragon King; eerie wails and spectral cries echoed outside the palace gates each night. Qin Qiong volunteered—alongside General Yuchi Gong—to stand fully armed and armoured outside the imperial chambers, and that very night the disturbances ceased. Moved by their devotion and exhaustion, the emperor commissioned court painters to render lifelike portraits of the two generals in full battle regalia, which were then affixed to the palace gates; thereafter, no malign spirits dared approach. This tale spread rapidly among the populace, and Qin Qiong thus became a household-name Door God, invariably paired with Yuchi Gong as the Left and Right Door Guardians respectively; their images are posted on front doors across China during the Lunar New Year to safeguard homes against evil and ensure familial peace and prosperity.