Xuan Wu (god)

Xuan Wu (god)

Xuan Wu (玄武, "Dark" or "Mysterious Warrior") is one of the higher-ranking Taoist deities and one of the more revered deities in China. He is revered as a powerful god, able to control the elements and capable of great magic. He is particularly revered by martial artists and is the patron saint of Hebei, Manchuria, and Mongolia. As some Cantonese and Minnan speakers (particularly Hokkien) fled into the south from Hebei with the Song Dynasty, Xuan Wu is also widely revered in Fujian and Guangdong Provinces as well as among the Chinese diaspora.

Since the usurping Yongle Emperor of the Ming Dynasty claimed the help of Xuan Wu in his successful uprising against his nephew, he had monasteries constructed in the Wudang Mountains of China's Hubei Province where Xuan Wu allegedly attained his immortality.