FUSHOULU

Fushoulu, three beneficent star gods in Chinese religion. Shou Xing, Fu Xing, and Lu Xing are respectively the gods of longevity, happiness, and salaries and employees, and normally appear as a threesome. The most recognizable of the three is Shou Xing, who is portrayed as a bearded old man with bushy white eyebrows and a large bald head. He stands with a knotted cane, holding a peach symbolizing longevity in his hand and accompanied by two long-lived animals, the stork and the tortoise. Long life is regarded as an honor in China, and although Shou Xing has no particular cult or temple, he is highly respected. Shou Xing, who determines the age at which individuals die, carries a tablet inscribed with that information. Ages on the tablet can be altered—for example, from 18 to 81—with a proper offering to Shou Xing. The god of happiness, Fu Xing, is a deified official of the 6th century, and is often shown with his symbol, the bat. Lu Xing, the god of salaries and employees, was an official who served the founder of the Chinese Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 220); he is often portrayed mounted on a deer.