Home›Subcategories›Chinese DeitiesSubcategoriesChinese Deities39 of 731 entries in Deities. Click any to see everything it connects to.Citation FormatsGeneral ReferenceGeneral Reference Citation TextDivinity Atlas. "Chinese Deities." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://www.divinityatlas.com/subcategories/deity/chinese-deities.Copy General ReferenceAPA StyleAPA Style Citation TextDivinity Atlas. (n.d.). Chinese Deities. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://www.divinityatlas.com/subcategories/deity/chinese-deitiesCopy APA StyleBibTeXBibTeX Citation Text@misc{divinityatlas-chinese-deities, author = {Divinity Atlas}, title = {Chinese Deities}, year = {2026}, url = {https://www.divinityatlas.com/subcategories/deity/chinese-deities}, note = {Accessed August 30, 2026} }Copy BibTeXThe gods of Chinese religion, drawn from Taoism, Buddhism, state ritual and local folk practice, and often held in common by all of them. The pantheon is organised as a celestial bureaucracy of ranks, offices and appointments mirroring the imperial administration, and a deity may be promoted, demoted or newly appointed within it.FactsLearn MoreSourcesComments (0)Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)FactsAttestationEra of AttestationWell-attestedDivine names appear in the Shang oracle-bone inscriptions of about 1250 to 1050 BCE, the earliest Chinese writing. The pantheon is documented continuously thereafter and is in worship today. 3Veneration TodayWell-attestedWorshipped today in temples, at domestic altars and at festivals across the Chinese-speaking world. 2OverviewWhat Defines This GroupingWell-attestedThe gods of Chinese religion taken across its parts rather than within one of them: the Taoist canonical pantheon, the deities of the imperial state cult, buddhas and bodhisattvas naturalised into popular worship, and the local and household gods of folk religion. The pantheon is ordered like a bureaucracy, with rank, office and promotion, and many of its members are deified humans. 2DirectoryCategoryWell-attestedDeities 1BrowseCompareSelect all 39Chang eChinese Deities8 linksGonggongChinese Deities6 linksHuangdiChinese Deities9 linksShennongChinese Deities6 linksTai SuiChinese Deities6 linksTaibai JinxingChinese Deities7 linksXiheChinese Deities7 linksYanluoChinese Deities6 linksZhuanxuChinese Deities7 linksZhurongChinese Deities7 linksJade EmperorChinese Deities13 linksThe Three Pure OnesChinese Deities5 linksQueen Mother of the WestChinese Deities11 linksMazuChinese Deities7 linksGuan YuChinese Deities5 linksCaishenChinese Deities3 linksKitchen GodChinese Deities4 linksCity GodChinese Deities4 linksDragon KingChinese Deities4 linksTudigongChinese Deities4 linksNezhaChinese Deities3 linksErlang ShenChinese Deities5 linksLei GongChinese Deities4 linksZhong KuiChinese Deities5 linksFuxiChinese Deities6 linksNuwaChinese Deities7 linksMeng PoChinese Deities4 linksZhongli QuanChinese Deities5 linksLü DongbinChinese Deities7 linksZhang GuolaoChinese Deities4 linksHan XiangziChinese Deities4 linksCao GuojiuChinese Deities4 linksLi TieguaiChinese Deities4 linksLan CaiheChinese Deities4 linksHe XianguChinese Deities4 linksThe Eight ImmortalsChinese Deities14 linksPanguChinese Deities6 linksDoumuChinese Deities1 linkYue FeiChinese Deities1 linkLearn MoreThe gods of Chinese religion This group gathers the deities of Chinese folk religion, Taoism and the state cult, a pantheon organised much like an imperial bureaucracy, with a supreme heaven, ranked officials and local gods answerable upward. Figures move between Taoist, Buddhist and popular contexts, and many are deified humans elevated for merit. The browser will find the Jade Emperor at the head of the celestial administration, the Three Pure Ones of Taoist cosmology, the Queen Mother of the West, city gods and kitchen gods, and popular protectors such as Mazu and Guan Yu. The tradition is syncretic and living, and the entries note where a figure belongs to Taoist, Buddhist or folk contexts.Sources1. Divinity Atlas Directory Taxonomy, First Edition Category Treetier 12. Encyclopedia of Religiontier 1Mircea Eliade (ed.); Lindsay Jones (ed., 2nd ed.), Macmillan Reference, 2005s.v. Chinese ReligionView the Source3. Sources of Shang History: The Oracle-Bone Inscriptions of Bronze Age Chinatier 1David N. Keightley, University of California Press, 1978chs. 1-2View the SourceDivinity Atlas Directory Prose, First Edition Category Descriptionstier 1Comments (0)No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.Sign in to join the discussion.Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.View At A Past YearThe atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.Show This Year