Gengzi Tai Sui General Lu Mi

Gengzi Tai Sui General Lu Mi is one of the Sixty Jiazi Tai Sui deities who rotate annually in accordance with the sexagenary cycle; he assumes office during Gengzi years—such as 2020 and 2080—and oversees human fortune, misfortune, auspiciousness, and calamity throughout that year. The zodiac sign associated with Gengzi is the Rat; folk belief holds that those born in the Year of the Rat experience benming nian (natal year), placing them directly under Tai Sui’s influence, while those born in the Year of the Horse encounter ‘clashing Tai Sui’ (chong tai sui). Both groups are advised to visit Daoist temples to perform the An Tai Sui (‘Stabilising Tai Sui’) or Bai Tai Sui (‘Worshipping Tai Sui’) rituals, offering reverence to the Tai Sui Star Lord to neutralise adverse influences of the year. The Tai Sui cult originates in ancient Chinese astronomy—specifically the Jupiter-based ‘Sui Xing’ (Year Star) calendrical system—and the taboo against disturbing earth where Tai Sui resides (‘moving soil above Tai Sui’s head’). It is believed that the Sixty Jiazi Tai Sui deities take turns serving as celestial overseers, monitoring human virtue and vice; 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.