Who is Guan Yu?

Guan Yu, also known as Guan Gong, was a famous general in the last years of Eastern Han Dynasty who assisted Liu Bei in establishing the Shu Han Dynasty. Throughout his life, Guan Yu was known for his loyalty, righteousness, kindness, and bravery, and was widely respected. He is a hero spreading through the ages of the Chinese nation. After nearly two thousand years of historical development, Guan Yu is now regarded as one of the most important deities in Chinese folk beliefs. He is not only a historical figure, but also a cultural symbol. Whether in ancient society or modern society, in bustling cities or remote areas, in temples or ordinary households, you can easily find the figure of Guan Yu.

Guan Yu symbolizes many noble qualities such as loyalty, kindness, righteousness, bravery, and confidence. In commercial culture, Guan Yu is perceived as the God of Wealth, symbolizing wealth and good luck. While in folk beliefs, Guan Yu is regarded as an omnipotent god with great divine power to exorcise and ward off evil spirits. People believe that the figure and the power of Guan Yu can help drive away evil force and protect their homes. Nowadays, in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, as well as some Southeast Asian countries, almost every household would place a statue of Guan Yu for worship. The statue of Guan Yu not only serves as a home and office decoration, but also becomes a spiritual sustenance for people towards a better life.

Types of Guan Yu Statue

The materials of Guan Yu statue are rich and diverse, among which the most common are brass, bronze, wood, ceramics, and so on. Each material has its advantages and disadvantages, and individuals can make their choices based on their home environment and personal preferences.

Copper Guan Yu Statue

The history of copper Guan Yu statue can be traced back to the Three Kingdoms period, when Guan Yu was admired for his loyalty and bravery. With the passage of time, the image of Guan Yu gradually became deified. He is now regarded as the Saint of War and the God of Wealth, reflecting the Chinese people's reverence for heroes and noble character, as well as the desire for being blessed and the pursuit of a better life. Copper Guan Yu ornaments are generally made of brass or bronze, and doesn’t rust nor fade easily as copper has high stability. At the same time, to make a copper Guan Yu ornament usually requires exquisite casting skills and meticulous polishing work. Therefore, copper Guan Yu ornaments are generally delicate and lifelike, and have extremely high artistic and collecting value.

Wooden Guan Yu Statue

Wood is one of the common materials used in making Guan Yu statue, especially in the fields of home decoration, collection, and so on. Wooden Guan Yu ornaments are easy to process, and thus the price is relatively low. What’s more, common woods such as peach wood and rosewood usually have a light fragrance, delicate texture, and natural luster. Beside, wooden Guan Yu ornaments are easy to preserve, almost unbreakable, and have exquisite craftsmanship. As a traditional folk handicraft art, wood carving techniques also have strong appreciation value.

Ceramic Guan Yu Statue

Ceramic Guan Yu statue is usually light, and has good glossiness as well as rich and bright colors. The surface of ceramics is smooth and delicate, giving people a sense of elegance and freshness, and it can be placed both indoors and outdoors for a long time. However, ceramic Guan Yu ornaments are fragile and thus need to be carefully stored, and regularly cleaned to maintain their beauty.

What is the Meaning behind Guan Yu Statue?

Guan Yu statue carries rich cultural meanings. In traditional Chinese culture, Guan Yu is one of the most respected deities. He plays various roles in Chinese folk beliefs and is regarded as an omnipotent god, and is both the Saint of War as well as the God of Wealth. So what is the meaning of placing Guan Yu statue at home?

To Bring in Wealth and Treasure

In folk beliefs, Guan Gong is regarded as the God of Wealth, and he is deeply respected for his loyalty and righteousness. Guan Gong can protect people's property and bring them wealth as well as good luck. In the business field, Guan Gong can help maintain commercial order and promote fair transactions. Many businessmen worship Guan Gong in order to achieve good financial luck and a flourishing business.

To Exorcise and Ward Off Evil Spirits

In historical stories, Guan Yu is an honourable hero with eagle eyes, solemn face, strong body, and outstanding martial skills. The weapon held by Guan Yu, the Green Dragon crescent-moon blade, is perceived to have magical power that can drive away ghosts, evil, and demons. Therefore, people believe that the image and power of Guan Yu can ward off evil spirits and protect the safety of their homes.

To Be Full of Wit

Guan Yu not only has great martial skills, but is also good at reading, making him a wise and brave general. He knows the Spring and Autumn Annals well and is skilled in making tactics. He can always achieve victory in tough wars, making him a symbol of wisdom and talent in people's minds.

In addition, different designs of Guan Yu also have different meanings, and the most common includes Guan Gong holding horizontal blade, Guan Gong holding standing blade, Guan Gong riding horse, and Guan Gong sitting and reading the Spring and Autumn Annals.

The design of Guan Gong holding horizontal blade is regarded as the image of the God of Wealth. He strokes his beard with his left hand, and holds a horizontal blade with his right hand, looking solemn and serious. Placing this Guan Gong statue has the functions of attracting wealth, protecting property, and ensuring safety. It can help promote business, open up new markets, gather wealth and treasures, and is suitable for business people to offer and worship in their companies.

Another common design is Guan Gong holding standing blade. He stands upright with a long blade facing upwards, looking into the distance. It is suitable for placing in the living room to attract wealth, ward off evil, and pray for peace.

The design of Guan Gong riding horse symbolizes an immediate success. It is usually given as business gifts, expressing a good wish to the recipients that they will achieve an immediate success in both career and life just like Guan Gong.

The design of Guan Gong sitting and reading the Spring and Autumn Annals is suitable for families with students. He strokes his beard with his left hand and holds the Spring and Autumn Annals with his right hand, symbolizing academic success and career advancement.

How to Place Guan Yu Statue?

1. Place it directly facing the entrance. This is a traditional way to place Guan Yu statue as it can help attract wealth, protect the house, ward off evil spirits at the entrance, and ensure the peace of the whole family.

2. Face south in the living room. It can also be placed facing west or facing east, but can’t be facing north. Placing the Guan Gong statue facing south can also help attract wealth and protect the house. However, if there is a contradiction between facing south and facing the entrance, make sure that it faces the entrance first.

3. Guan Yu statue can not be placed directly facing the toilet, kitchen, and bedroom. In addition, there should be a wall behind the statue but don’t place it against the wall of the toilet or kitchen.

4. Guan Yu statue should be placed somewhere at a height of about one meter. Besides, don’t place any objects in front of Guan Yu as this can block his sight. It is necessary to allow the statue to see as far away as possible so as to fully play its feng shui role.

5. Do not place Guan Yu statue and the tables of ancestors together. The tables should be placed under Guan Yu statue to show respect for the both.

6. It is best not to place any other objects under Guan Yu statue, especially glass and plastic buckets.

7. Don’t let other people touch your Guan Yu statue, especially his eyes and blade. When having bad luck, you can turn the blade handle to help improve fortune.

How to Offer and Worship Guan Yu

Choose the Right Offerings

The offerings should include a pair of vases, incense burners, gold ingots, fruits, candles and so on. Choose fresh flowers or lotus flowers and put them in the vases. The vases should not be higher than the statue. The incense burner must be made of copper. Besides, the fruits need to be replaced every three days, and should include persimmons, grapes, apples, bananas, peaches, cantaloupes, bergamots, pastries, candies and so on. Buddhist believers should avoid offering tomatoes and meat, while Taoist believers can not offer plums.

Offer Incense

Offering a stick of incense in the morning and the evening is a way to show your wholehearted devotion to Guan Gong. If conditions do not permit, you can offer a stick of incense only in the morning. Do not offer three sticks unless you have something very important to ask for his help.

Keep It Clean

When offering and worshiping Guan Yu, it is necessary to keep it clean in daily life and don’t let the statue get dirty. It is best to wipe and clean the statue every day to ensure its cleanliness and tidiness. When worshipping Guan Yu, one should eat vegetarian on the first and fifteenth day of each lunar month.