We often say "the emperor and the earth", so what is the earth? Let's talk about it today~
The term "Houtu" has different meanings in different contexts, mainly including the following interpretations:
1. The honorific title of the earth: "Houtu" can express respect and worship for the earth, emphasizing the importance and sacredness of the land. For example, there is an expression in "Hanshu Li Guangsu Jian Biography" that "Hedong Houtu".
2. Land god or earth god: In some religions and myths, Houtu is regarded as the god of the land, in charge of the fertility of the land, its products, and people's livelihood. The ancients believed that heaven and earth were opposite, the emperor referred to the sky, and the earth referred to the earth. There are also relevant records in some classics, such as "to the boy in the "Book of Shang" "to the boy to inherit the Zhi, the crime of the bottom business, sued the emperor and the queen of the earth".
3. Ancient official positions: In ancient times, Houtu could also be a name for an official position that was responsible for managing land and related affairs.
4. Honorific title of emperor or monarch: The term houtu can also be used to honorifically address an emperor or monarch to signify his or her high status and supreme power.
5. Female deities: In Taoism, Houtu is revered as "Chengtian imitates Houde Guangda Hou Tuhuang Di", referred to as "Chengtian imitates Houtu Huang Di" or "Hou Tuhuang Di", which can also be called "Mother Earth" and "Mother Earth". Its godhead has a wide range of functions, and can command the heavenly officials to manage the operation of the sun, moon and stars, order the local officials to manage the Netherworld Cave Mansion and the Xudu World, and is also responsible for managing the gods of the four desecrations and the five mountains and the lord of the blessed land cave heaven. She is also the superior of Si Ming (who oversees the life span of people) and Si Lu (who precedes the sins of people), and has the divine power to dispel plagues and calamities. In the Taoist system of "Four Emperors", Houtu, together with the Emperor of the Arctic crape myrtle in the Middle Heaven, the Immortal Emperor of the Antarctica and the Emperor of the Gouchen Shanggong, is listed as one of the "Four Emperors", second only to the "Three Qings", and is one of the important deities assisting the "Three Qings".
The belief in Hou Tu Niang Niang can be traced back to the worship and deification of the land in primitive Chinese religious beliefs. During the matriarchal society of ancient times, Houtu originally referred to the goddess of the female land. In the pre-Qin texts, Houtu has different interpretations, such as being regarded as the name of an official position in ancient times, the son of a co-worker (Houtu had been transformed into a male deity by this time), and so on. During the Han Dynasty, the Houtu sacrifice was incorporated into the national sacrificial system, and the Houtu Temple was established in the Fenyin area of Shanxi. During the Tang Dynasty, Houtu returned from male deities to female deities. In the Song Dynasty, the sacrifice of Hou Tu Niang Niang reached another peak, Song Zhenzong once enshrined it as "Hou Di Ji", and Song Huizong added it as "Cheng Tian imitates Houde Guangda Hou Tu Huang Di Ji". Since the Jin and Yuan dynasties, the Houtu sacrifice has gradually declined in the state sacrifice, but it is still inherited among the people. Today, in the Fenyin region of Shanxi Province and the Taiwan region, there are still many believers of the Houtu faith. In the Houtu Temple in Wanrong County, Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province, and the Guduo Houtu Temple in Hejin City, a grand temple fair will be held every year on the birthday of Our Lady of Houtu (March 18 of the lunar calendar) to commemorate and worship Houtu Niangniang.
