Nezha is a Taoist deity whose life story was recorded in the Ming dynasty work “Creations of the Gods” and “Journey to the West.” He is known as the Central Marshal in the Taoist pantheon and also Third Prize Lotus by his devotees. Nezha’s birthday is celebrated on the 8th day of the 4th lunar month.
Also known as Na-Zha, Li Nezha, Li No-Zha, Li No-Zha, Na Cha, No Cha, Li No-Cha
1. Birth of Nezha
Born in the Shang dynasty, his mother Lady Yin was pregnant with Nezha for three years before giving birth to a ball of flesh. His father, Li Jing, the commander of the Shang army in Cheng Tang, split it in two to find a small child who was already about to walk and talk.
That dramatic first interaction between father and son seemed to have strained their relationship, but luckily for Nezha, a celestial being arrived and accepted him as his disciple. Nezha was the youngest in the family and had two older brothers, Jin Zha and Muzha.
2. Fight against the Dragon Kings
The legends and stories of Nezha have an incredible beginning, just like his birth and his end. Formerly a monstrous immortal with three heads, eight arms, and nine eyes who wanted to subjugate the earth with his demons, Nezha was sent to Earth by the Jade Emperor to subdue a plague of demons.
Disguised as an immortal companion, he appeared in the womb of Emperor Li-Jing’s wife and would have died at birth had he not made certain Auspicious Signs and shown a magical bracelet.
He was called the Third Prince. He soon grew into a robust six-year-old boy wearing pants made of fire. Literally. One day, while rowing in the sea, he set himself on fire. Even as a child, Nezha already possessed incredible powers. Once, while bathing in the sea, his movements created strong currents that greatly disturbed the palace of the Dragon of the East Ocean.
Puzzled by the mysterious flames, Ao-Kuang, the Dragon King of the East Sea, sent his son Prince Ao-Ping to investigate. The dragon king’s third son was sent to check the source of the turbulence, but ended up in a fight with Nezha and, in a playful and childish mood, Nezha killed him.
The grieving and enraged Dragon King of the Ocean left his underwater palace in search of revenge, but was defeated in the most humiliating manner. The other Ocean Dragons, Long-Wang, who had paused only to dispute the empty throne, recovered by breaking into the Emperor’s house and kidnapping both Li-Jing and his wife.
It was a delicate situation that required the utmost diplomacy and tact. So a shamefaced Nezha, not wanting to cause any more trouble for his family, committed suicide, and his parents were released.
But the next morning, a rolling ball of flesh appeared in the palace. Li-Jing cut it open to reveal that it was Nezha again. His father was furious at all these events and tried to cut him to pieces. Father and son fought furiously, and it seemed to be the end for Li-Jing.
But the Jade Emperor, who couldn’t help feeling that his original plan had gone awry, intervened and made peace between them. Father and son joined forces and thus began their heroic career as demon slayers.
Many years later, when Nezha was back in Heaven enjoying the rewards of his labors, mortals on Earth began to worship him as a general-purpose protective deity. Not only does he defend them from dragons, but he is also believed to be special and kind to truck and taxi drivers.
He is also asked for help with lotteries and games of chance. Of all the Chinese gods, he is probably the only one mischievous enough to reveal the winning numbers.
3. The Death of Nezha
After his death, Nezha’s mother built a temple in his memory, which became very popular with the people. However, when Li Jing discovered the temple, he destroyed it.
Li Jing’s destruction of the temple enraged Nezha, who had already been resurrected by his master using lotus roots and given two treasures: the wheel of fire and the spear of fire. In his anger, Nezha attacked his father, and the two fought until two heavenly beings intervened and helped the father and son reconcile.
4. Creation of God, Journey to the West
When the Shang government became increasingly corrupt, Nezha, along with his father and brothers, helped King Wu establish the Zhou dynasty. This adventure was recorded in the novel “Creation of the Gods.” In “Journey to the West,” Nezha was sent by the Jade Emperor to subdue the Monkey God, but he failed to stop his terror in the Heavenly Court.
5. Nezha in Taoist art
Nezha is a well-known and popular Taoist deity with temples dedicated to him. He is most commonly present in temple celebrations as the Central Marshal of the heavenly army. He is also very popular among devotees as Nezha, the Third Lotus Prince.
His spiritual medium can manifest in various forms, and the temple will dress him in the appropriate attire: children’s clothing with lotus designs for the manifestation of the Third Lotus Prince, and martial clothing as the Central Marshal.
Nezha’s story has inspired several highly successful cartoons and television series.
6. Stories and Legends
Chinese mythology is a collection of cultural history, folk tales, and religions that have been passed down in oral or written tradition, including myths about creation and legends and myths about the founding of Chinese culture and the Chinese state. Like many mythologies, it was once believed to be, at least in part, a factual record of history.
One of the major vernacular Chinese epic fantasy novels written about myths and legends is Fengshen Yanyi, translated as The Investiture of the Gods or The Creation of the Gods.
There are a total of 100 stories in Fengshen Yanyi, in which numerous elements of Chinese mythology are intertwined, including gods and goddesses, immortals, and spirits.
One story is about a little boy named Nezha. The story about him is called (Nezha Disturbs the Seas), also known as Nezha Conquers the Dragon King. It is an exciting classic Chinese folk tale that has been known and loved by generations of Chinese children.
Nezha Conquers the Dragon King
The story begins with Nezha’s father, Li Jing, a powerful general of the Chentang Pass. His wife, after a three-year pregnancy, gives birth to a ball of flesh shaped like a lotus bud. Believing this to be a bad omen, Li Jing’s chops open the lotus bud with a single blow of his powerful sword. A beautiful boy jumps out.
The Great Monarch comes to offer his congratulations. He finds the child to his liking, so he takes him as a disciple and teaches him magical arts. He then gives him two magical weapons: the Ring of the Universe and the Red Armored Belt.
When Nezha is seven years old, the region is struck by a long drought, and the greedy ruler of the East Sea, who is in charge of the rain, shows little mercy toward the people. Instead, he demands that children be sacrificed.
The master then gives Nezha two more magical weapons: the Wind Fire Wheels and a spear with a fiery tip. Nezha returns to Chentang Pass and teaches the Dragon King a lesson, who swears never to bring disaster to the people again.
To save the people, Nezha kills the Dragon King’s third and favorite son. The Dragon King came to the Cehntang Pass and confronted Nezha and his family. Sensing trouble, Nezha seeks the advice of his master, who suggests that he intercept the Dragon King at the gates of heaven. Nezha follows his master’s advice and overpowers the Dragon King, forcing him to surrender and leave without complaint.
However, the Dragon King forges an alliance with his brothers, the Kings of the North, South, and West, to take revenge, threatening to flood the General’s palace and ordering torrential rain to fall from the sky for three days and three nights.
To save the people from the flood, Nezha has to sacrifice himself, and then his ghost goes to his old master to lament his fate. Nezha is brought back to life by his mentor, who uses the roots of the lotus plant to make a human body for Nezha’s soul.
The master then gives Nezha two more magical weapons: the Wind Fire Wheels and a spear with a fiery tip. Nezha returns to Chentang Pass and teaches the Dragon King a lesson, who swears never to bring disaster to the people again. Nezha has appeared frequently in Chinese mythology and ancient Chinese literature. Sometimes he is depicted with three heads and six arms. In some legends, he has the ability to breathe fire.
In Journey to the West in Popular Culture
In this popular tale called “Journey to the West,” the character known as Nezha was a high-ranking military officer: a general under the command of his father Li Jing. This god fought against Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, for rebelling against the Jade Emperor. After fighting, they became friends on their journey to the west.
The best way to enjoy the story of Nezha Riots the Seas is to watch a 1979 wide-screen animated feature film produced by Shanghai Animation Film Studio. The film features Chinese characters in traditional clothing and showcases beautiful landscapes and magnificent photography with special effects.
The film was praised by critics for its elegance of style and richness of imagination. It won an outstanding film award in 1980 and a special award at the Second Manila International Film Festival in 1982.
