262:; her following extended to the Lower Yangzi region as well, and she also enjoyed significant patronage from the imperial court., particularly during the Ming and Qing dynasties. This had a great impact on the culture of northern China. As the goddess of dawn, she attends the birth of each new day from her home high in the clouds. As the goddess of childbirth, she attends the birth of children, fixing their destiny and bringing good fortune. Bixia Yuanjin is venerated in the Temple of the Purple Dawn at the summit of the holy mountain, Mount Tai, where women wishing to conceive come to ask for her help.
20:
270:
The Palace of the Clouds of Dawn (Bixia Gong), a shrine to the goddess, was built at the top of Mount Tai during the Ming dynasty and is still a focus of pilgrimage worship. Her popularity is widespread today. Many cities in China have temples dedicated to Bixia
Yuanjun. In Beijing, the Temple of the
182:, regarded as a deity of childbirth, the dawn, and destiny. She purportedly governs human life-span, judges the dead, and heeds the pleas for children in need, especially male children (thus being capable of causing a male offspring to be born to a household).
271:
Eastern Peak (Dongyue Miao) contains a hall dedicated to the goddess, as does the White Cloud
Monastery (Baiyun Guan). In Taoist painting and sculpture, she is often accompanied by nine other attendant goddesses, including the goddess of fertility
98:
The name Bixia
Yuanjun has been rendered variously in English-language sources (‛Sovereign of the Clouds of Dawn', ‛The Primordial Goddess of the Morning Clouds', ‛Princess of the Azure Clouds' etc.).
229:) conceived of as the former's subordinate in the Chinese folk religious (or Taoist) scheme. Late Ming sources assert that Taishan Niangniang was the daughter of a commoner.
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There are many legends of Bixia
Yuanjun. She is a composite representation of multiple historical personalities. There are versions which depict her as a daughter of
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and early Qing dynasties, Taishan
Niangniang became one of the most popular deities in North China with her influence actively spread by
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Bixia
Yuanjun has become conflated with various matron goddesses, and she became northern China's equivalent to the bodhisattva
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Little, Stephen; Eichman, Shawn; Shipper, Kristofer; Ebrey, Patricia
Buckley (January 2000).
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The control over destiny and judgeship over the dead in the underworld are attributes of
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523:"Fate or Future?—A Discussion of Taishan Pilgrimage around the 19th and 20th Centuries"
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Her derelict statue was supposedly discovered on the holy mountain in the year 1008 by
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Bixia Yunjun became an important deity in China, particularly in the north during the
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DuBois, Thomas David (2015), Goossaert, Vincent; Kiely, Jan; Lagerwey, John (eds.),
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The official Taoist hagiography of Bixia
Yuanjun is contained in a text entitled
47:'The Primordial Sovereign of the Colored Clouds of Dawn'), also known as
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dynasties. She has also been conflated with various matron deities such as the
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of the Song
Dynasty, according to a story promoted by a 1635 guidebook.
247:'s reign (1573-1620) supplement to the Taoist Canon, printed in 1607.
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Symbols and
Rebuses in Chinese Art: Figures, Bugs, Beasts, and Flowers
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Identity Reflections: Pilgrimages to Mount Tai in Late Imperial China
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Bixia Yuanjun has also been conferred such honorary titles such as
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is typified by her wearing a three-phoenix (or more) headdress.
193:), whose cult was powerful in central and southern China.
243:, compiled by Zha Zhilong (1554-86) and included in the
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Holy People of the World: A Cross-cultural Encyclopedia
679:. Harvard University Asia Center. pp. 382–385.
469:The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Chinese Religions
557:Modern Chinese Religion II: 1850 - 2015 (2 vols)
130:However, she is commonly known by such names as
55:, 'The Lady of Mount Tai'), is the goddess of
162:; 'old grandma', ' granny').
154:; 'Grandma of Mount Tai'), or simply
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146:; 'Our Lady/Empress of Mount Tai'),
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119:'Heavenly Immortal Jade Maden') and
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471:. John Wiley & Sons. p. 408.
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358:"Bixia Yuanjun (Pi-hsia yuan-chün)"
702:. University of California Press.
648:. University of California Press.
14:
360:, in Jestice, Phyllis G. (ed.),
603:. Ten Speed Press. p. 26.
467:. In Nadeau, Randall L. (ed.).
553:"Local Religion and Festivals"
1:
431:. Columbia University Press.
428:China: A New Cultural History
673:Dott, Brian Russell (2004).
645:Taoism and the Arts of China
275:and the goddess of eyesight
61:Chinese traditional religion
59:, childbirth and destiny in
559:, BRILL, pp. 128–129,
463:Grant, Beata (7 May 2012).
85:particularly in the south.
23:Statue of Bixia Yuanjun at
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166:Attributes and conflations
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629:saturn.ihp.sinica.edu.tw
495:Travel Guide of Shandong
174:goddess associated with
597:Fang, Jing Pei (2004).
584:Encyclopedia Britannica
696:Naquin, Susan (2000).
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170:Bixia Yuanjun is the
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299:of the Ming dynasty.
241:History of Mount Tai
511:, pp. 122–123.
277:Yanguang Niangniang
273:Zhusheng Niangniang
132:Tianxian niangniang
89:General description
409:The British Museum
140:Taishan Niangniang
49:Taishan Niangniang
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733:Chinese goddesses
655:978-0-520-22785-9
610:978-1-58008-551-9
478:978-1-4051-9031-2
438:978-0-231-52818-4
371:978-1-57607-355-1
283:Explanatory notes
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180:Shandong Province
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580:"Mount Tai"
521:Tian, Fen.
509:Dott (2004)
256:Tai'an City
250:During the
203:iconography
80:bodhisattva
722:Categories
324:References
156:lao nainai
492:Hao, Ni.
329:Citations
197:Depiction
176:Mount Tai
57:Mount Tai
25:Mount Tai
465:"Gender"
266:Temples
223:Chinese
209:Legends
187:Guanyin
107:Chinese
83:Guanyin
35:Chinese
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314:Yanluo
225::
219:Yanluo
172:Taoist
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65:Taoism
37::
704:ISBN
681:ISBN
650:ISBN
605:ISBN
561:ISBN
473:ISBN
433:ISBN
366:ISBN
252:Ming
201:Her
152:泰山老母
144:泰山娘娘
136:天仙娘娘
125:天仙聖母
116:lit.
111:天仙玉女
76:Qing
74:and
72:Ming
53:泰山娘娘
44:lit.
39:碧霞元君
312:or
178:in
160:老奶奶
67:).
724::
627:.
582:.
555:,
543:^
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279:.
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227:閻羅
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