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Qianliyan

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Qianliyan
A statue of Qianliyan in Perak, Malaysia
Chinese千里眼
Literal meaningThousand-Li Eye(s)
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinQiānlǐyǎn
Wade–GilesCh‘ien-li-yen
For other uses, see Qianliyan (disambiguation).

Qianliyan is a Chinese door god. He usually appears with Shunfeng'er as a guardian of the temples of the sea goddess Mazu.

Name

The name "Qianliyan" literally means "He of the Thousand-Mile Eyes" but may be taken more generally as "Hawkeye", "Lynx-Eyed",[1] "Far-Seeing",[2] or even "All-Seeing"[3] or "Clairvoyant"[4] as a distance of 1,000 li was idiomatic in Chinese for any great distance.[5] It also appears as Qianli Yan[6] and Qian Li Yan.[7] His partner Shunfeng'er's name similarly means "Sharp-Eared" or "All-Hearing".

Myths

Qianliyan's sharp vision is employed to help protect sailors at night and during fog and other inclement weather.[8] In some accounts, he is capable of seeing everything in the world.[9]

Qianliyan is most often portrayed as a demon defeated and tamed or befriended by the sea goddess Mazu. By one account, he and Shunfeng'er appeared off Meizhou Island during a storm and were defeated by Mazu's magical silk scarf, which blew clouds of sand into their eyes and ears. After their submission, they pledged their loyalty when she kindly healed them of the damage she had caused them.[10] In another, the two were Song generals who competed for her hand at Peach Blossom Mountain (桃花山, Táohuā Shān) but were both defeated by her kung fu.[11] In another, the two were the brothers Gao Ming and Gao Jue. Ruthless generals, they fell at Peach Blossom Mountain and subsequently haunted it as demons. They appeared to Mazu when she traveled nearby and challenged her to battle, with the loser to do the winner's bidding. They intended to have her marry them both but were defeated by her magic and became her servants.[1][3] In still another, the Gao brothers were bandits during the Shang before they began to haunt the mountain.[8] In another, they were warriors or guards of King Zhou of Shang.[4]

He also appears as the "eyes" of the Jade Emperor in the Ming-era Journey to the West.[3]

Legacy

Actors portraying Qianliyan and Shunfeng'er during a parade in Taipei.

Worship

Qianliyan most often appears as a door god at Mazuist temples[10] or as a guardian beside Mazu at her altars[6] or on her yellow paper charms.[12] He is separately worshipped in some villages[13] and by mariners for assistance avoiding danger. During the 8-day, 250-kilometer (155 mi) annual pilgrimages from Dajia to Beigang, Mazu's idol is accompanied by 10-foot (3 m) figures of Qianliyan and Shunfeng'er played by masked men on stilts.[14]

In art

Qianliyan typically appears as a green-skinned demon shielding his eyes from the sun's glare. He also occasionally appears with three heads and six arms.[1] He usually appears to the right of his companion Shunfeng'er. He sometimes appears as the red demon, in which case he usually has two horns and yellow sapphire eyes.[15]

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b c Masure, Yves, "Chien Li Yen", ThaiLex.
  2. ^ Ho, Yi, "The Good, the Bad, and the Divine", Taipei Times {{citation}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help).
  3. ^ a b c Lobb, Fred (2011), "Mazu and General Sees All and General Hears All", Chinese Folktales, Hong Kong: Blogspot.
  4. ^ a b "A Guide to Qing'an Guild Hall", Official site, Ningbo: East Zhejiang Maritime Affairs Folk Custom Museum, 2010.
  5. ^ Yu, Ning (2009), The Chinese Heart in a Cognitive Perspective: Culture, Body, and Language, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, p. 288 {{citation}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help).
  6. ^ a b Giuffrida, Noelle (2004), "Tianhou", Holy People of the World, Vol. II, Santa Barbara: ABC Clio.
  7. ^ Guardian of the South Seas: Thian Hock Keng and Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan, Singapore, 2006, p. 28{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link).
  8. ^ a b Baquet, James (2015), "Mazu's Consorts", Shenzhen Daily, Shenzhen{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link).
  9. ^ The Boxer Codex, Leiden: Koninklijke Brill, 2016, p. 644.
  10. ^ a b Yuan (2006), p. 123–4.
  11. ^ Devonshire-Ellis, Chris (2008), "Mazu: The Princess of Tides", China Expat, Asia Briefing.
  12. ^ Soo (1990), p. 41.
  13. ^ Dean (2010), p. 147.
  14. ^ Nadeau, Randall (2012), "Divinity", The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Chinese Religions, Malden, Mass.: Wiley-Blackwell, p. 375.
  15. ^ Ruitenbeek (1999), p. 319.

Bibliography

  • Dean, Kenneth; et al. (2010), Ritual Alliances of the Putian Plain, Vol. II, Handbook of Oriental Studies, §4: China, Vol. 23/2, Leiden: Brill.
  • Ruitenbeek, Klaas (1999), "Mazu, Patroness of Sailors, in Chinese Pictorial Art", Artibus Asiae, Vol. 58, No. 3/4, pp. 281–329.
  • Soo, Khin Wah (1990), "The Cult of Mazu in Peninsular Malaysia", The Preservation and Adaption of Tradition: Studies of Chinese Religious Expression in Southeast Asia, Contributions to Southeast Asian Ethnography, No. 9, Columbus: OSU Department of Anthropology, pp. 29–51 {{citation}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help).
  • Yuan, Haiwang (2006), "Mazu, Mother Goddess of the Sea", The Magic Lotus Lantern and Other Tales from the Han Chinese, World Folklore Series, Westport: Libraries Unlimited {{citation}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help).
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