The types of "door gods"
1.Martial door gods
Martial door gods are usually pasted on the front door of the street, in order to suppress demons or disasters entering from outside the door. The martial door gods are often armed with weapons like swords, spears, etc. In addition to Qin Shubao and Yuchi Gong, there are also martial door gods who do not specifically refer to a military officer. There are also some regions regarding Zhao Yun, Zhao Gongming, Sun Bin, and Pang Juan as door gods.
2.Literary door god
The literary door god is a general civilian figure in court uniform pasted on the door. In the old days, there were not many people in China who used civil servants as door gods, among which the most famous were Wei Zheng, Bao Gong, Hai Rui, and Wen Tianxiang.
3.Ghost-driving door god
The type of door gods are mostly Shentu and Yulei, Golden Rooster and Tiger. After the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, Beijing people used to stick door gods, adorn peach figures, hang reed ropes, and paint tigers on the doors to dispel misfortune, suppress evil spirits, and drive away ghosts.
Zhong Kui is also a well-known ghost-driving door god who can punish the evil, promote the good, and protect the peace of the world.
4.Door gods symbolizing good luck
In ancient times, besides being able to drive away demons and guard homes, there were also lucky door gods like Fu, Lu, and Shouxing to the door, who could bring fame, wealth, and longevity. This type of door god is not the protector of the door, but is specifically used for praying for good luck, with the central figure being the Blessing Heavenly Officer.
Door gods paintings are widely distributed, especially after the middle of the Ming Dynasty when workshops for engraving door gods spread throughout the country. After thousands of years of inheritance, the images of the door god have had different appearances in different eras and regions. To this day, it continues to innovate, but its core function is still to "guard and bless".