IncenseThree cups of teaFruitVegetarian feastPaper ingotsSugarcaneThe first bowl of rice
Invocation Approach
Tone
Formal courtly respect
Address
Jade EmperorYuhuang DadiTian GongAugust Emperor of Jade
Relationship
Petitioner before a sovereign who keeps records
Warning
He is the head of an administration and the ledger is kept
Resonance
Those who keep a household altar those who ask for rain or ordinance those who need a judgement
Symbols
Jade tabletDragon throneImperial sealRegister of meritNine dragon crownIncense burner
Mythology Summary
The Jade Emperor is the supreme ruler of the Chinese celestial bureaucracy, the sovereign to whom the other gods report and from whom they hold office; the kitchen god reports to him before the New Year. He is not a creator in the strict sense, since the world is already made, and his work is administration: appointing gods, receiving memorials, keeping the ledgers of merit and of lifespan. The imperial cult was formalised by the Song court, which conferred the title Haotian Jinque Yuhuang Dadi in 1012 under Zhenzong and extended it under Huizong in 1116; the popular scripture Yuhuang jing sets out his cosmic role.
Modern Practice
He is approached at the New Year and on his lunar birthday, the ninth day of the first month, with incense, tea and a cleaned house. The practice is procedural rather than ecstatic: state the case plainly, with the household's names and the year's request, and let the ledger stand.