Yihai Tai Sui General Ren Bao

Yihai Tai Sui General Ren Bao is one of the Sixty Jiazi Tai Sui deities who assume annual stewardship over human affairs. He serves during Yihai years—such as 1995 and 2055—and oversees all fortune and misfortune befalling humanity that year. As the Pig is the zodiac sign associated with Yihai, those born in the Year of the Pig experience their benming nian (zodiacal birth-year cycle) and therefore sit directly beneath the Tai Sui; conversely, those born in the Year of the Snake face tai sui chong (‘clashing with the Tai Sui’). According to folk custom, both groups should visit temples to ritually install and venerate the Tai Sui deity, offering sincere worship to seek the Tai Sui Star Lord’s protection and neutralisation of adverse influences. The Tai Sui concept originates from the ancient ‘Jupiter-year’ calendrical system, wherein Jupiter’s orbital cycle was used to mark years; the saying ‘Dare not disturb the earth above the Tai Sui’ reflects the deep-rooted reverence for the Tai Sui as the supreme celestial sovereign governing each year. Devotees commonly visit Daoist temples on the 8th day of the 1st lunar month to worship the Tai Sui, praying for disaster aversion, longevity, and smooth passage through the year.