As relayed in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) novel Journey to the West, Qin Shubao and Hu Jingde attribute equally classical origins to the door gods. It was said that they were so effective in ridding the Tang emperor's palace of ghosts that they were honored by having their images posted on the palace doors. In a similar vein of adopting traditions associated with mainstream Chinese culture, the 17th-century Enfeoffment of the Gods supplies the "Ran Deng" ("Lamp Lighting") Taoist and Zhao Gongming. Guan Yu and Guan Sheng are a grandfather-grandson team who appear respectively in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Outlaws of the Marsh . Whoever the door gods may be, the common denominator of all front gate door gods is their trustworthiness, strength and loyalty, bolstered by a fierce martial countenance and impressive weaponry. Their posting at the most vulnerable point of an otherwise solidly enclosed courtyard situated them at the front line of defense in the spiritual security of the home.

Although less represented in narratives, inner door gods were important allies of their front-gate counterparts. While the front-gate door gods were of a martial nature, the inner-door gods were of a civil nature. The inner gods were sometimes associated with historical scholars, such as Dou Yujun, whose five sons passed the civil service examinations to become great officials. In general, the civil door god simply provided balance to the cultural configuration of the house, and encouraged the visitor to feel at peace in his/her surroundings.

 Chinese folklore associated with door gods

During the reign of Emperor Taizong (627-649), the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty, there lived a dragon king who was in charge of the rain in a river called Jinghe in Gansu Province . He had an old friend by the name of Yuan Shoucheng.

One day, as the two were drinking and enjoying a friendly chat, the dragon king made a bet with his friend that he could delay the rain for an hour and reduce it by about one-tenth.

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