Baosheng Dadi is a

Deity A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greate ...

of Medicine worshiped in

Chinese folk religion Chinese folk religion, also known as Chinese popular religion comprehends a range of traditional religious practices of Han Chinese, including the Chinese diaspora. Vivienne Wee described it as "an empty bowl, which can variously be filled ...

and

Taoism Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of Philosophy, philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of China, Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmo ...

. The deity is very popular in

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capi ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

and the Chinese communities in Southeast Asia.

Historical Personage

Wu Tao or Wu Ben () was born in the village of Bailiao near

Xiamen Xiamen ( , ; ), also known as Amoy (, from Hokkien pronunciation ), is a sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian, People's Republic of China, beside the Taiwan Strait. It is divided into six districts: Huli, Siming, Jimei, Tong'an, ...

in Fujian Province, during the

Song Dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

in the year 979. He was a skilled doctor and Taoist practitioner who was credited with performing medical miracles, including applying eye drops to a dragon’s eye and removing a foreign object from a tiger’s throat. After his death in 1036, he began to be worshiped as a deity. His deified status was officially recognized by the

Hongxi Emperor The Hongxi Emperor (16 August 1378 – 29 May 1425), personal name Zhu Gaochi (朱高熾), was the fourth Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigned from 1424 to 1425. He succeeded his father, the Yongle Emperor, in 1424. His era name "Hongxi" means ...

of the Ming Dynasty who conferred on him the title of “Imperial Inspector at Heavenly Gate, Miracle Doctor of Compassion Relief, Great Taoist Immortal, and the Long-lived, Unbounded, Life Protection Emperor ()”.

Worship

He is worshiped at many temples in Fujian and Taiwan, including the famous

Dalongdong Baoan Temple Dalongdong Baoan Temple () also known as the Taipei Baoan Temple () is a Chinese folk religion, Taiwanese folk religion temple built in the Datong District, Taipei, Datong District, Taipei, Taiwan. The present temple was originally built by clan m ...

() in Taipei. His birthday is celebrated with parades and festivals on the 15th day of the third lunar month.

Some of the temples dedicated to Baosheng Dadi

, Taipei *

Zuoying Ciji Temple Zuoying Ciji Temple () or Bao Sheng Da Di Temple () is a temple by Lotus Lake in Zuoying District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. See also * Baosheng Dadi * Cide Temple * Chi Ming Palace * Zhouzi Qingshui Temple * Spring and Autumn Pavilions * List of te ...

, Kaohsiung *

Yuanbao Temple Yuanbao Temple ( zh, t=元保宮, p=Yuánbǎo Gōng) is a temple located in North District, Taichung City, Taiwan. The temple is dedicated to the Taoist deity Baosheng Dadi. History Historically, the area around Yuanbao Temple was known as ...

, Taichung City * Jen Wu Temple, Chiayi City *

Xian'an Temple Dacheng Xian'an Temple () is a temple located in Dacheng Township, Changhua County, Taiwan. The temple is dedicated to Baosheng Dadi, the God of Medicine, and is protected as a county-level historical building. History The Dacheng area was se ...

, Changhua County

Gallery

File:台灣台南學甲慈濟宮正殿.jpg, Main-Hall of the Ciji-Temple in the Syuejia District of Tainan City (Taiwan) File:Baoshengdadi.jpg, Altar to Baosheng Dadi at

Taichung Taichung (, Wade–Giles: ''Tʻai²-chung¹'', pinyin: ''Táizhōng''), officially Taichung City, is a special municipality located in central Taiwan. Taichung has approximately 2.8 million residents and is the second most populous city of Taiw ...

, Taiwan File:Baoshengdadi-Amulette.jpg, Baosheng Dadi amulet.

References

{{Authority control Chinese gods Health gods Hokkien Taoism Medicine deities