Discover the historical and cultural significance of Zhong Kui in Chinese mythology, from his origins and legends to his role in the upcoming game Black Myth: Zhong Kui.
With a panther-like head, round eyes, a stern face, coiled beard, and a sword in hand to capture ghosts, this figure of unwavering righteousness has stood firm for over a thousand years in Chinese folk beliefs, straddling the boundaries between the human and spiritual realms.
On August 20, 2025, during the opening night of Gamescom, Game Science unveiled their new title, Black Myth: Zhong Kui. By that afternoon, the teaser trailer had surpassed 7.65 million views on domestic video platforms, with over 50,000 comments, quickly propelling the topic to the top of hot search trends.
This deity, known as the "Ghost Catcher," once again captured widespread attention. Yet few truly understand the origins and evolution of Zhong Kui: some believe he was a Tang Dynasty scholar who failed the imperial exams and committed suicide in anger; others argue he is merely a fictional character passed down through generations.
The origins of Zhong Kui have been debated by scholars across dynasties, and to this day, no consensus has been reached. There are multiple versions of Zhong Kui’s background, with six main theories based on relevant textual research.
The Tang Dynasty was a critical period for the development of the Zhong Kui legend. The most widely circulated image of Zhong Kui primarily comes from Liu Zhang’s Tale of Beheading Ghosts, published during the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty.
The book portrays Zhong Kui as a Tang Dynasty imperial scholar who was rejected due to his ugly appearance and committed suicide, later becoming a judge in the underworld tasked specifically with capturing ghosts.
According to Shen Kuo’s Supplement to the Brush Talks from the Song Dynasty, Zhong Kui entered the national orthodox narrative due to a dream experienced by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji. In the dream, the emperor was disturbed by a minor ghost in his palace and was saved by a figure who called himself Zhong Kui, a scholar who had failed the military exams.
As recorded in Tang Dynasty’s Lu Zhao’s Unofficial History and later various notes: During the Kaiyuan era, Emperor Xuanzong, while ill, dreamed of a minor ghost stealing Consort Yang’s perfume pouch and his jade flute. Another large ghost captured the minor ghost, gouged out its eyes, and devoured it.
The large ghost identified himself as "Zhong Kui," a scholar who had failed the military exams and vowed to eradicate evil spirits for the emperor. Upon waking, the emperor recovered from his illness and ordered Wu Daozi to paint Zhong Kui’s image, "issuing a decree (告) to the world to display Zhong Kui’s image at year’s end to ward off evil spirits."
This imperial decree from the Chang’an palace can be seen as the starting point for the popularization of Zhong Kui worship. Xi’an, as the capital of the Tang Dynasty, was not only the cultural soil where the Zhong Kui legend germinated but also the starting point for the formation of his worship image.
From a historical and geographical perspective, many early texts identify Zhong Kui as a "Zhongnan imperial scholar." Zhongnan Mountain, located south of Chang’an, is endowed with countless legends of immortals and reclusive culture, serving as both a natural barrier and a spiritual symbol guarding the imperial capital and nurturing myths.
To this day, Xi’an and its surrounding areas retain the strongest imprint of Zhong Kui culture in China. In Zhouzhi County, Xi’an (formerly known as "盩厔"), Zhong Kui worship is listed as an intangible cultural heritage. Folk legends claim that Zhong Kui’s ancestral home is in Zhongnan Town, Zhouzhi, while others say he was born in Ganhe, Huxian County (now Huyi District, Xi’an).
During the Spring Festival or Dragon Boat Festival, locals still hang Zhong Kui’s image and perform Zhong Kui dances, deeply embedding his image (形象) into the local cultural identity. Thus, the connection between Zhong Kui and Xi’an is far more than a simple "place of origin" relationship.
This city witnessed his transformation from a palace anecdote to a deity of popular worship, eventually sedimenting (沉淀) into a folk symbol that has endured for millennia. He is a fantastical side note to the flourishing Tang (盛唐) memory of Chang’an, the most upright "civil servant" in the ancient capital’s culture of gods and ghosts.
Zhong Kui is a famous "Great Ghost Catcher" in Chinese folk beliefs, possessing multiple divine roles, including exorcism, home protection, and blessing bestowal. His story blends historical, Taoist, and folk elements, influencing society for over a thousand years.
Taoism incorporated Zhong Kui into its pantheon, honoring him as "Yisheng Leiting驱魔辟邪镇宅赐福帝君" (Imperial Lord Yisheng Leiting Who Exorcises Demons, Ward Off Evil, Protects Homes, and Bestows Blessings), abbreviated as "伏魔帝君" (Demon-Subduing Imperial Lord) or "钟馗天师" (Zhong Kui, the Celestial Master). In Comprehensive Compilation of Sources from the Three Religions, Zhong Kui is described as a righteous deity who "beheads demons and eliminates evil, protecting the common people."
After the Ming and Qing dynasties, Zhong Kui was integrated into the underworld system, becoming one of the "Four Great Judges" responsible for the "Punishing Evil Division," specializing (专门) in managing fierce ghosts and malevolent spirits.
In folk beliefs, Zhong Kui evolved into an all-purpose protective deity. People displayed his image on doors to prevent ghostly intrusions (e.g., hanging Zhong Kui paintings during the Dragon Boat Festival).
Some regions regard Zhong Kui as a "God of Fortune," even believing he can ensure success in imperial exams (since he was once a "failed scholar"). As time passed, Zhong Kui’s symbolism expanded from "exorcism" to "blessing bestowal."
In some areas, he is placed alongside auspicious deities like "福禄寿" (Gods of Fortune, Prosperity, and Longevity), believed not only to dispel disasters but also to bring good luck, especially in imperial examinations and business ventures, where people worship Zhong Kui to seek smooth outcomes.
Zhong Kui Marrying Off His Sister is one of the most well-known stories in the Zhong Kui legend. Folk tales depict Zhong Kui as fierce-looking yet deeply loyal. After his death, concerned about his sister’s well-being, he appeared in a dream to his friend Du Ping, betrothing his sister to him and personally "supervising the marriage" by sending minor ghosts to escort his sister to her wedding.
This story showcases Zhong Kui’s "tenderness beyond fierceness," breaking his singular image as a "ferocious deity." Related operas and New Year paintings often feature the theme of "Zhong Kui Marrying Off His Sister."
It is said that after Zhong Kui’s death, grateful for his friend Du Ping’s burial of his body, he led underworld soldiers to marry his sister to Du Ping and bestowed wealth upon him. This story became a classic theme in operas (e.g., Beijing Opera’s Zhong Kui Marrying Off His Sister) and paintings, symbolizing "integrity" and "repaying kindness."
The legend of Zhong Kui Beheading Ghosts is also widely circulated. Legend has it that Zhong Kui, wielding a ghost-beheading sword, commands the "Five Directions Ghost Soldiers" specializing (专门) in killing evil ghosts that wreak havoc in the human world. Folk New Year paintings often depict "Zhong Kui Capturing Ghosts," with inscriptions like "驱邪降福" (Ward Off Evil and Bestow Blessings).
Due to the homophonic association of "bat" (蝠, fu) with "fortune" (福, fu), Zhong Kui’s images often include bats (e.g., "Zhong Kui Ushering in Fortune"), symbolizing "warding off evil and attracting fortune." Zhong Kui’s transformation from a "wronged soul of a failed scholar" to a "deity of all responses" reflects the Chinese cultural values of "good overcoming evil" and "karma."
Multiple sources confirm that Zhong Kui paintings matured by the Tang Dynasty at the latest. Before this, we can only infer based on images associated with Zhong Kui’s predecessors, such as "Zhong Kui," "chui," "Fang Xiang," "Chi Guo," and "Yao Xuan."
Generally, Zhong Kui should have a fierce appearance, wield sharp tools, wear animal skins, and dress in red robes. Descriptions of his face include only "four golden eyes" and "a bronze head and iron forehead."
According to records, Wu Daozi’s "Zhong Kui style" from the Tang Dynasty featured "a blue gown, one leather-covered foot, one blind eye, a waist tablet, and a headscarf with disheveled hair," accurately capturing his action (动作) of "grabbing a ghost with his left hand and digging out its eyes with his right."
Song Dynasty aesthetician Huang Xiufu, in Record of Famous Paintings of Yizhou, also documented Zhong Kui’s image: "Worn hat and old robe, thick eyebrows and large eyes, broad cheeks and wide forehead, standing on palace steps."
From the Five Dynasties to the Yuan Dynasty, Zhong Kui painting themes were highly favored by artists. Huang Quan, Shi Ke, Li Gonglin, Ma Hezhi, Qian Xuan, Wang Meng, Gong Kai, Yan Hui, and others have passed down Zhong Kui paintings. The earliest Zhong Kui images we can see today are from the Southern Song/Yuan early period, such as Yan Geng’s Zhong Kui Marrying Off His Sister and Gong Kai’s Zhong Chu Traveling.
After the Ming Dynasty, as Zhong Kui’s image gradually merged with Zhang Tian Shi’s, the "tiger-riding version" borrowed from Lao Zhang’s mount began to appear. In terms of clothing, since Zhong Kui-related operas were typically performed during the New Year, and folk attributes of "attracting wealth" were added to Zhong Kui, his robes changed from blue to red.
Zhong Kui’s image and stories centrally reflect (集中体现) the Chinese cultural concepts of "the opposition of good and evil" and "the balance of yin and yang." His fierce appearance carries justice, and his function of straddling both realms connects life and death, fulfilling the practical needs of folk exorcism and disaster avoidance while embodying the pursuit of beautiful qualities (美好品质) like justice and warmth.
Zhong Kui’s core symbolism (寓意) is to ward off evil, avoid disasters, protect homes, and attract fortune. Folk beliefs hold that Zhong Kui can awe (震慑) ghosts, disperse evil spirits, and thus his images are often posted on gates, in main halls, or by beds, especially during festivals like the Spring Festival and Dragon Boat Festival, to pray for peace and resist the invasion of "evil spirits."
Despite his fierce appearance, Zhong Kui represents the "majesty of justice." He became a deity after death due to his integrity, and he never shows mercy when capturing ghosts. Folk culture regards him as a symbol of "justice," warning evildoers that "evil cannot prevail over good" and embodying the longing for fairness and justice.
Commenting on the craze (热潮) sparked by the Black Myth series domestically and internationally, Wang Xiaoyong noted that compared to Sun Wukong’s rebellion and freedom, Zhong Kui represents order, justice, and the judgment of good and evil in the human world—a "deity" with darker undertones and philosophical tension.- Wang Xiaoyong
He has a tragic past, a majestic (威严) present, and the power to shuttle (穿梭) between the human and ghost realms. In an interactive medium like games, such a character undoubtedly possesses strong narrative potential.
Zhong Kui is pushing open the door to the virtual world. This ghost-catching deity spanning millennia has walked out of the dreams of the Tang Dynasty palace, through the paintings of the Song and Yuan dynasties, the novels of the Ming and Qing dynasties, and is now preparing to continue telling stories about good and evil, justice and evil, humans and ghosts in new ways.
His image condenses (凝聚) folk fears and expectations, evolving from the name of an object to a personal deity, and then becoming a righteous judge straddling the realms of yin and yang.