4 - On The Legends and Significance of Xi'an's God of Wealth , Zhao Gongming

Presentation Abstract
There are various legends about Zhao Gongming, the God of Wealth in many places across China. The author of this paper takes the legends from Zhaocaicun Village, Zhouzhi District as a case study. and compares them with several relevant documentation records. She completes her study on Zhao Gongming with an analysis of the transformation of Zhao Gongming's identity from a devilish to a saintly God. She also probes the traits and ways of believing as well as the style of thought in the narration. The paper touches in a preliminary way on the cultural features of the agrarian region to illustrate the rules of the folk narrating principle underlying Zhao's transformation from wickedness to goodness. On the method of narration, the paper compares the differences between folk narration with the orthodox tradition. and reveals that the plague devil has dramatically changed its identity. She further tries tries reasons why.