MING DYNASTY (1368-1644)

Guandi is the deified name of Guan Yu, who was the renowned third century general of the state of Shu, and was popularized by the fourteenth century historical novel Sanguo Yan Yi (Romance of the Three Kingdoms). He is reputed to have been killed along with his adopted son Guan Ping and his trusted general Zhou Cang in Jingzhou by the army of Sun Quan, ruler of the state of Wu. By the Sui dynasty, Guan Yu had become deified. While his actions are reputed to be overly exaggerated in later accounts of his life, Guandi remains one of the most popular Chinese historical figures, and to this day is worshipped by Daoist and Buddhist practitioners as a guardian deity.