After months of delay due to the coronavirus pandemic, Chinese cinema-goers were finally able to see one of China’s most colorful historical characters in movie theaters last week. Jiang Ziya (姜子牙), an eccentric angler-turned-statesman from the 12th century BCE, is the hero of a new fantasy film by the same name.
Also known as Legend of Deification, Jiang Ziya is an animated film in the style of last summers’ blockbuster Ne Zha (《哪吒》). Unlike the snowy-haired, white-bearded portrayals of ancient sages in most movies, this film’s title character is middle-aged. Taking its supernatural plot from the Ming dynasty (1368 – 1644) novel The Investiture of Gods (《封神演义》), the film tells of how Jiang, a commander among the gods, is banished to the mortal realm as punishment for a mistake, and must find his way back to the divine kunlun world without losing his commitment to righteousness and benevolence.This is very different from the story of the historical Jiang, who is a mortal—though extraordinarily talented—politician and military strategist who helped establish the Zhou dynasty (1046 – 256 BCE). But the story of real-life Jiang is every bit as impressive as the legend, despite a lack of superpowers:Jiang Ziya, also known as Jiang Shang (姜尚) and Lü Shang (吕尚), was believed to have been born around 1156 BCE in what is today’s Henan province. Most of what we know about him come from writings such as Master Lü’s Spring and Autumn Annals (《吕氏春秋》), by the Qin dynasty (221 – 206 BCE) minister Lü, and the Records of the Grand Historian (《史记》) by the Han dynasty’s (206 BCE – 220 CE) Sima Qian (司马迁).According to historical records, Jiang was a late bloomer. His family had fallen into poverty by the time he was born, so the young Jiang held a variety of jobs including butcher and innkeeper, while teaching himself astronomy, geography, statecraft, and military strategy. In some versions of the tale, he became an official under the reign of King Zhou, the last ruler of the corrupt Shang dynasty (1600 – 1046 BCE), but resigned and went to live as a hermit witnessing untold suffering and civil wars.One day, when Jiang was already in his 70s, he heard that Ji Chang (姬昌), a duke on the western frontier, was recruiting talented individuals into his service. Jiang journeyed to the duke’s realm, but rather than seeking audience with him, he went fishing every day on the shore of the Wei River (near present-day Xi’an).Jiang cosplayers participate in a fishing competition in Changsha in 2017
Years later, the duke came across Jiang on a hunting trip. Curiously, the old man used no bait, but simply muttered “姜太公钓鱼，愿者上钩” (When Lord Jiang fishes, there are always fish willing to be caught). A woodcutter had teased him, saying, “You never catch any fish in a hundred years,” and Jiang replied, “You do not know that I am fishing for kings and princes.”
The intrigued duke went to speak to Jiang, and was impressed by his intelligence and hired him as an adviser. Jiang helped the duke and later his son to topple the Shang and establish the Zhou dynasty. The phrase “姜太公钓鱼，愿者上钩” also became a well-known idiom, meaning that people of stellar ability will naturally attract others.Eccentricity aside, Jiang is also renowned for his military expertise. Jiang is credited with the feat of writing China’s oldest book of military strategy, the Liutao (《六韬》) or Six Secret Strategic Teachings, centuries before Sun Tzu wrote the globally renowned Art of War (《孙子兵法》).While serving under Ji Chang, who became posthumously known as King Wen of the Zhou, Jiang helped the duke establish alliances with many other states that felt oppressed under the Shang. After the Zhou’s founding, Jiang was made duke of the Qi state in present-day Shandong province in order to pacify the realm’s eastern frontier. There, he created a merit-based system of selecting officials, showed tolerance for local customs, simplified court rituals, and encouraged fishing, salt production, and commerce. This attracted talented people from all over the realm to settle in the Qi state.As with many ancient heroes and sages, stories about Jiang grew more fantastical over time, and he came to be worshiped as a supernatural being. Supposedly, he was 139 when he died.According to legend, Jiang was originally set to become the Jade Emperor, the ruler of all gods. However, his assistant Zhang Youren sabotaged this plan. At the ceremony where the gods were being named, Zhang hid under the Jade Emperor’s throne. When someone asked, “Will anyone succeed the Jade Emperor,” Jiang replied, “Yes.” At this point, Zhang jumped out and sat on the throne, thus claiming the position.An ancient saying related to this legend, “太公在此，诸神退位” (Should Lord Jiang be present, all gods would abdicate), indicates the common people’s respect for Jiang, as they believe he overshadows every god.Jiang has been a character in multiple TV series and movies. Most adapt his story from The Investiture of Gods, where Jiang is said to be the ruler of all gods, rather than from history.In the 1990 TV series The Investiture of Gods, Jiang is played by the well-known actor Lan Tianye, whose portrayal set the standard for subsequent adaptations.
The year 2009 saw the release of TV series Legend and Heroes, in which Liu Dekai (刘德凯 ) played the white-bearded sage. In the series’ 2015, though, actor Chen Jianfeng’s (陈键锋) youthful portrayal earned him praise as the “most handsome Jiang.”
Chen Jianfeng as Jiang Ziya
This year’s new animated film adds more complexity to how Jiang is portrayed. Despite the delayed release, the film raked in 700 million RMB at the box office in just three days after its opening on October 1. However, though ticket sales are (for now) more impressive than last year’s Nezha, viewers seem less impressed with Jiang Ziya, giving it an average score of 7.0 on review site Douban, compared with 8.4 for Nezha. As one Douban user put it, “the animation is great, the plot on the other hand...”
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