Wenchang Dijun (God of Literature) is worshiped in many Chinese fanes. It was in
about 6th century that he was accepted by Taoism. It says that he was the son of
the emperor, and kept on reincarnating to benefit people. He is a great god and
in charge of people's study and examination.
After the 14th century, many Chinese schools
feted this god. His birthday is on February 3 of the lunar calendar. Especially
in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), his birthday was even congratulated by the
Emperor. From this we can see though he is a Taoist god, he had been marked with
Confucian color.
In some other literature, it says: in the
Tang Dynasty (618-907), there was a person named Zhang Ya. He was from
Zhejiang Province, but moved to live in Zitong of
Sichuan Province and made a living as a teacher. He was not only noble and
honest but also talented, which made him greatly respected. After his death,
people adored him as a god to commemorate him. As the time passed, he was
trusted by every dynasty's government, and gradually became the numen of
literature, academy and examination. Finally he was called Gold of Literature as
what it is today.