Guan Sheng Di Jun (Lord Guan)

Cao Cao may be the most heartbroken fan in Chinese history. After surrounding Guan Yu and accepting his surrender, the warlord showered him with everything a man could want — fine wine and feasts, a high title, and the legendary Red Hare, the finest horse in the land. Guan Yu accepted the horse (a warrior knows a good horse when he sees one) and nothing else. His mind was fixed on a single question: where was his sworn brother, Liu Bei?

The moment word arrived, Guan Yu took his two sisters-in-law under his protection and left. Cao Cao lined the road with five checkpoints to stop him; Guan Yu fought through every one — the feat remembered as 'crossing five passes and slaying six generals.' Riches, rank, and comfort were his for the taking, and he rode a thousand li away from all of it to rejoin a brother who at that moment had nothing.

That is the heart of it: he valued a promise more than his own life. And it is exactly why Taiwanese have trusted him for centuries. In business, the person you fear most is the one with no honor — so people hand their livelihoods to the god with the most.

What is Lord Guan best at answering? Prayers for honest prosperity and fair dealing in business, for passing exams, for justice, and for driving off evil all fall within his jurisdiction.

How to pray: set out your offerings, light incense, state your name and what you're asking for, then cast moon blocks to ask whether he grants it. What matters most is sincerity — Guan Gong has no patience for a false heart.

Offerings: the 'three meats' (a whole chicken, pork, and a whole fish), longevity peaches, longevity noodles, and three cups of clear tea. Some devotees lay a copy of the Spring and Autumn Annals on the altar as a mark of respect.

There is only one taboo, but it is the important one: come with clean intentions. If you're praying for ill-gotten money, save your incense — this is the god of righteous wealth, and he cannot abide a speck of grit in his eye.

The most important festival is Guan Sheng Di Jun's birthday on the 24th day of the 6th lunar month. Major celebrations are held at temples across Taiwan, including Xingtian Temple and Tainan's Martial Temple.