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Kong Xuan, Commander at Sanshan Pass

Kong Xuan (Chinese: 孔宣; pinyin: Kǒng Xuān) is a character in the classic 16th-century Chinese novel Fengshen Yanyi. He is a peacock spirit who became King Zhou's general.[1] His character is based on Mahamayuri from Buddhist myth.[2][3]

In Fengshen Yanyi

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His original form was the first peacock in the world. In the original text of Fengshen Yanyi, Kong Xuan was once said to have been born "when chaos first divided". His mother was the phoenix, the ancestor of birds. Kong Xuan was born with a proud and independent spirit, and his ambitions were far-reaching. The novel praises him, saying: "The world is vast, but he can go anywhere".

After he attained enlightenment, he transformed into a human form. He later became an official and served as the general of the Three Mountains Pass, under King Zhou, the last ruler of the Shang dynasty. After Hong Jin defected to the Zhou side, Kong Xuan was transferred to the frontline of Jinji Ridge to block the Zhou army from entering the pass.[4]

Kong Xuan had five different rays of light which would sweep his enemy into a void, thus he gave King Wu's armies a hard time. Even King Wu's mightiest generals such as Nezha and Yang Jian (Erlang Shen) were no match against him.[5] According to research by Chinese scholars, the description of Kong Xuan's ability to emit five-colored light in the novel comes from the Buddhist Mother Great Peacock Sutra and the Tathagata Protection of the Countryside Dharani Sutra. These two sutras are classics of Tantric Buddhism.[6]

However, in the end, Kong Xuan was defeated by Candi, a Buddha from the west. He then reverted into his original form, a giant peacock, and became Candi's mount. Later, he was also ordered to help Zhou, and when he fought against the Zhuxian Evil Formation, he helped Candi attack Tongtian Jiejiao.[7]

In folktale

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The story of Kong Xuan and the Lacquer Treasure is a popular Chinese folktale. It is often told to explain the origins of lacquer and the importance of lacquer craftsmanship.

Once upon a time, there was a peacock demon named Kong Xuan who lived in a lacquer tree. One day, he saw the Taoist priest Candi sleeping under the tree. Kong Xuan was afraid that Candi would harm him, so he attacked first. He kicked down a branch of the tree, hoping to crush Candi.

Unbeknownst to Kong Xuan, Candi caught the branch in midair. He took the branch back to his Taoist temple and, after trimming and polishing it, he used it to cultivate a magical treasure called the Lacquer Treasure. Later, Candi used the Lacquer Treasure to subdue Kong Xuan. He threw the treasure at Kong Xuan, and it struck him on the forehead. Kong Xuan was immediately subdued, and he became Candi's disciple.[8]

References

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  1. ^ 神話與小說 (in Chinese). 時報出版公司. 1986. ISBN 978-957-13-0359-8.
  2. ^ 中国精怪文化 [Chinese Ghost Culture] (in Chinese). 上海人民出版社. 1997. ISBN 978-7-208-02454-0.
  3. ^ 三生石上旧精魂: 中国古代小说与宗教 (in Chinese). 北京出版社. 2005. ISBN 978-7-200-06064-5.
  4. ^ Xu Zhonglin. Fengshen Yanyi. chapter 68-71 (chinese text)
  5. ^ 平劇劇目初探 (in Chinese). 明文書局. 1982.
  6. ^ 中外論壇 (in Chinese). China Media Services, Incorporated. 1996.
  7. ^ 京劇劇目初探: 增訂本 (in Chinese). 中国戏剧出版社. 1963.
  8. ^ 行业神崇拜: 中国民众造神运动硏究 (in Chinese). 中国文联出版社. 2000. ISBN 978-7-5059-3570-9.
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