Jiayin Tai Sui General Zhang Chao

General Zhang Chao, the Jiayin Tai Sui, is one of the Sixty Jiazi Tai Sui deities who take turns presiding annually over the human realm; he assumes office during Jiayin years—such as 2034 and 2094—and oversees all matters of fortune and misfortune for that year. The Jiayin year corresponds to the Year of the Tiger in the Chinese zodiac; folk tradition holds that those born in the Year of the Tiger experience benming nian (their natal year) during Jiayin, while those born in the Year of the Monkey encounter chong tai sui (a direct clash with the Tai Sui). Both groups are traditionally advised to visit Daoist temples to perform the An Tai Sui (‘Stabilising the Tai Sui’) ritual and worship the Tai Sui Star Lord, thereby seeking divine protection against annual misfortunes. The Tai Sui cult originates in ancient stellar calendrics centred on Jupiter (the ‘Year Star’, or Sui Xing) and the taboo against disturbing earth in the Tai Sui’s direction—hence the saying ‘disturbing earth where the Tai Sui resides’. It is believed that the Sixty Jiazi Tai Sui deities rotate annually, each serving as celestial overseers who monitor human virtue and vice; thus, during years of Tai Sui conflict, devotees offer sincere prayers and rituals to avert calamity, transform adversity into blessing, and ensure peace, safety, and smooth passage through the year.