Guangong is one of the most popular dieties in Buddhist and Daoist pantheons. An epitome of a great hero who served the cause of reviving the Han rule during the 3rd century, he was courageous and served his master with unquestioned loyalty. He became a Buddhist deity as early as the mid 6th century but was officially associated with Daoism during the Song dynasty (960-1279). By the Ming dynasty, the cult of Guangong had gained wide-spread popularity and images of Guangong were installed by emperors as guardians of Buddhist temples.
