There are many folk deities worshipped in Chi Village. However, one deity is unique because it is not found anywhere rather than in Chi Village. The name is Old General Huang (Huang Lao Jiang Jun). People also called him Gong Ye in the community. A temple was established to worship him.
The exact name of this general is Huang Ruiyuan. He was a general in the Ming Empire and passed away in Chi Village after combating a bloody battle. Afterward, the villagers built a temple to worship him.
Villagers do not take the statue of Old General Huang for procession during the Lunar New Year like the Three Mountains King, but his status in the village is not lower than the Three Mountain kings. There is no other temple of Old General Huang in the other places in Chaozhou. The worship of General Huang Lao is exclusive to Chi Village.
There are also many legends in the village about Old General Huang. During the Republic of China (1912-1949), a pandemic broke out in the village. Therefore, the villagers organized a procession of Old General Huang. The deity procession reached Wuyang Township, 5 kilometers away. As a result, the pandemic subsided. Villagers attributed the subsidence of the epidemic to Old General Huang.
Another legend happened in the nearby Annanmiao Village. One year, an eerie water ghost appeared in the pond of Annanmiao Village and ate children. People groaned with pain but found no way to combat the ghost. Eventually, elders and gentries in Annanmiao Village came to Chi Village to request Old General Huang to evict the water ghost. Just as everyone was worshiping the general, the bronze statue of Old General Huang suddenly flew out. People saw it and quickly followed. The bronze statue of General Huang arrived on the pond side, turned around on the grass mat on the ground, then sank and vanished. People were amazed, and when they returned to the temple, they saw that the deity had already caught the two water monkeys. They were the water ghost and the culprits of the tragedy. Old General Huang saved Annammiao Village! Due to this legend, residents of the Annanmiao Village began to visit Chi Village to worship Old General Huang likewise.
Old General Huang eliminated potential threats to the village. A carp monster stirred up troubles in Fengxi Town, near Chi Village. He even planned to harass Chi Village. Knowing this, General Huang was incarnated as a farmer, wearing a rice hat and carrying a pot of wine, and walked towards the gate of the village. The monster saw the farmer coming. He suddenly realized the farmer was the deity Old General Huang and the village was under the protection of the deity. He was shocked and immediately left the village. Since then, he never came to the village anymore.
Even Chaozhou municipal government relied on General Huang's divine power. Once upon a time, a drought happened in Chaozhou. The government requested the Buddhist monks in Kaiyuan Temple to pray for rain. The temple was the most renowned Buddhist temple named after Emperor Xuanzong's era name by himself in the Tang Dynasty. They performed rainmaking rituals, but it was futile. When the monks heard that Old General Huang was powerful, they started a pilgrim to his temple from Kaiyuan Temple. They kneeled once while walking every three steps, begging Old General Huang to offer them rain. Finally, the rain came to Chaozhou.
Overall, a range of legends was "invented" for this unique deity. Villagers were proud of Old General Huang as their tutelary. In fact, The name Huang Junyuan can be found in the essay 'Farewell to Huang Junyuan, the Advisor to the County Government, who will Become Government Official and Look After His Mother'(送郡幕黄濬源致官侍母) written by Lin Xichun, a Chaozhou scholar in Ming Dynasty. Nonetheless, it is possible that the general was originally a ghost spirit worshipped by the locals. The name Huang Junyuan was attributed to it in order to be recognized by the state.
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