Binshen Tai Sui General Guan Zhong

Binshen Tai Sui General Guan Zhong is one of the Sixty Jiazi Tai Sui deities who rotates into office during the Bing-Shen year (e.g., 2016 CE, 2076 CE), overseeing human fortune, misfortune, blessings, and calamities for that year. The Bing-Shen year corresponds to the Year of the Monkey in the Chinese zodiac; folk belief holds that those born in the Year of the Monkey experience benming nian (their natal year), directly aligning them with the reigning Tai Sui, while those born in the Year of the Tiger encounter ‘clashing’ (chong) Tai Sui. Both groups are traditionally advised to visit Daoist temples to perform the An Tai Sui (‘settling Tai Sui’) and Bai Tai Sui (‘worshipping Tai Sui’) rituals, offering reverence to the Tai Sui Xingjun to mitigate adverse influences throughout the year. Tai Sui veneration originates in ancient Chinese astronomy—specifically the Jupiter-based suixing (‘year-star’) calendrical system—and the taboo against disturbing earth where the invisible Tai Sui deity was believed to reside (hence the saying ‘disturbing earth above Tai Sui’). It is widely believed that the Sixty Jiazi Tai Sui deities rotate annually, each serving as celestial overseers who monitor human conduct and moral deeds; thus, during years of ‘conflict with Tai Sui’, devotees engage in sincere prayer and ritual observance to avert disaster, transform misfortune into blessing, and ensure peace, safety, and smooth passage through the year.