Earth God (Tu Di Gong)

The most widely told version goes like this: in the Zhou dynasty there was a tax official named Zhang Fude, so honest that he gave his own salary to help the poor. He lived to 102 — a true super-centenarian by ancient standards.

After he died, a farmer who had benefited from his kindness built a simple little shrine out of four large stones to worship him. Then something strange happened: the farmer started to prosper. Word spread, neighbors rushed to follow his example, and Tudigong shrines went up one after another — perhaps the most successful word-of-mouth marketing in history.

An honest official who, after death, got his start with four large stones and became one of the gods the Taiwanese know best. No dazzling miracles, just the simplest truth: good people are rewarded. That's what makes Tudigong so lovable — he isn't distant or forbidding, but like an old neighbor who watched you grow up.

What do you pray to Tudigong for? Wealth (he's the most approachable god of fortune), a safe home, thriving business, and good harvests. Business owners, take note: on the 2nd and 16th of every lunar month you 'zuo ya' — make offerings to him. That's the old rule.

How to pray is simple — the offerings needn't be lavish. The three sacrificial meats, fruit, peanuts, mochi, and candy all work; Tudigong isn't picky, and sincerity matters most. When you offer incense, state your address, your name, and what you are asking for. If you're praying for wealth, you can burn 'Tudigong joss paper,' or go to Zinan Temple in Zhushan, Nantou, and cast the moon blocks to borrow 'fortune money' to use as seed money.

There's only one taboo: if you borrow fortune money, you must go back and repay it (Zinan Temple's rule is to return it the following year). Tudigong is very kind — and he also has a very good memory.

Tudigong's birthday on the 2nd day of the second lunar month (the 'first ya' of the year) is celebrated at Tudigong temples everywhere, alongside the prayers for peace that follow the Lantern Festival. The 16th day of the twelfth lunar month is 'weiya,' the last zuo ya of the year. Traditionally, the boss would host a banquet for employees on this day; if the chicken's head was pointed at an employee, it hinted that they would not be kept on the next year. This custom evolved into the modern company 'weiya banquet,' a year-end tradition unique to Taiwan.