Iconography and Beliefs Concerning the Deity Zhu Bajie in China and Overseas Chinese Communities in Contemporary Contexts

Abstract

Zhu Bajie (Pigsy) is a key character in Journey to the West. He is a complex figure, devoted to Tang Sanzang and brave in fighting demons, yet at the same time cunning, indolent, and unabashedly lustful. This complexity opens up space for popular imagination and for the appropriation of Zhu Bajie within various systems of belief. This article examines the myths, narratives, iconography, and associated cultural phenomena of Zhu Bajie as a deity in mainland China and overseas Chinese communities, and analyses the roles and dynamics of these beliefs. The study is based on fieldwork conducted at 32 worship sites where Zhu Bajie is venerated, and adopts the concepts of folkloric particles and social functions as its analytical framework. The findings show that patterns of belief concerning Zhu Bajie are highly diverse, shaped by geographical factors, local myths and legends, and the socio-cultural context of each site. Iconographically, Zhu Bajie appears in two main forms: 1) a deity with a porcine face, and 2) a deity with a human or divine countenance. The beliefs identified in the field further cluster around three principal roles: 1) a subordinate deity supporting other gods; 2) a deity who bestows good fortune in grey-area or semi-legal businesses; and 3) a deity who grants agricultural abundance. The study ultimately argues that the contemporary persistence of belief in Zhu Bajie as a deity does not derive solely from myths, narratives, iconographic antiquity, or functional roles. Rather, such belief is continually negotiated in relation to other conditions — new cultural forms, new economic structures, new legal frameworks, and new lifestyles — which together shape whether the cult of Zhu Bajie continues, becomes attenuated, or is discontinued at particular sites of worship.