Placing Door Gods on the external doors of houses is a time-honored tradition dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907 AD). The Emperor Taizong is said to have fallen ill, and had a dream in which ghosts came to the palace in search for him. He recounted this tale to his officials the next day, and the story quickly spread through the Imperial Court: such matters weretaken rather seriously at that time. From then on, two of the emperor's top generals, Qin Qiong and Yuchi Gong, both of whom had fought with hime to establish the Tang dynasty, stood outside guarding the emperor's bedroom door. Therefore, the emperor was ablt to sleep soundly in the knowledge that he was protected by these two generals, and had no further dreams of the ghosts.

However, after a few nights the emperor became concerned for the generals, and he ordered that two paintings be made, one of each general. Once completed, the emperor had their paintings hung on the door to his room, thus relieving the generals of the task.

This tale soon became widely known, and in their eagerness to share the protection of these "Door Gods", the common people made their own paintings and placed them on their doors. The tradition has continued ever since.

Author: Jessie