Guihai Tai Sui General Yu Cheng

General Yu Cheng, the Guihai Tai Sui, is one of the Sixty Jiazi Tai Sui deities who preside over the Guihai year (e.g., 2043, 2103), overseeing all human fortune and misfortune during that period. As the Pig is the zodiac sign associated with the Guihai year, those born in the Year of the Pig enter their benming nian (zodiac birth-year cycle) and thus sit directly beneath the Tai Sui’s influence; conversely, those born in the Year of the Snake experience ‘clashing’ with the Tai Sui (chong tai sui). According to folk custom, both groups are advised to visit temples to ritually install and venerate the Tai Sui, offering sincere worship to seek the Tai Sui Star Lord’s protection and mitigation of adverse energies. The Tai Sui concept originates from the ancient stellar calendar based on Jupiter’s twelve-year orbital cycle (the ‘Year Star’ or Sui Xing); the saying ‘one must not disturb the earth where the Tai Sui stands’ reflects the deep-rooted reverence for the Tai Sui as the supreme celestial sovereign governing the year. Devotees commonly attend Daoist temples on the 8th day of the 1st lunar month to worship the Tai Sui, praying for disaster avoidance, longevity, and smooth passage through the year.