Zhu Rong is the Fire God of the South. In the Classic of Mountains & Seas, he is decribed as having a beast-like body and human face, riding around the sky on two dragons.

He is best known for defeating the Water God, Gong Gong (共工 gòng gōng), in an epic battle across Heaven and earth that ended with Gong Gong, bitter in defeat, crashing in to a mountain and tearing a whole in the Heavens.

His heritage is unclear. In the Classic of Mountains & Seas it states that his 3rd great grandfather is Yan Di (炎帝 yán dì), but in the Classic of Regions Within the Seas and Classic of the Great Wilderness: West (both of which are chapters of Classic of Mountain & Sea - 18 and 16 respectively), they state that he is a descendent of the Yellow Emporer (皇帝 huáng dì).

For some reason (further research needed) in recent years, artists have started portraying Zhu Rong as a woman, though it is clear from early illustrations in ancient texts that he is, in fact, male.

Zhu Rong the Musician

According to one legend, Zhu Rong is a bit of a musician. It is said that one could often see Zhu Rong at the top of a mountain playing melodious music to the people below, filling them with energy and sparking a new joy for life. 

After he died, the highest peak of Heng Mountain (衡山 héng shān) in Nan Yue (南岳 nán yuè) was named after him - Zhu Rong Peak (祝融峰 zhù róng fēng).

Zhu Rong 祝融 (zhù róng)
Status: God/Deity
Gender: Male
Pronunciation: (audio file coming soon)
Best known for: Defeating Gong Gong in battle

Home > Collection > Zhu Rong

Zhu Rong the Fire Officer

In some texts, Zhu Rong is named Chong Li 重黎 (chóng lí). In this particular legend, Chong Li was appointed the position of Fire Officer (火正 huǒ zhèng OR 火官 huǒ guān) by the Emperor. Chong Li was a man of great merit, a shining example to others, so the Emperor bestowed him with the name Zhu Rong. 

祝 zhù means 'forever' or 'continuous;'

融 róng is a symbol of light.

This name was given to him in the hope that he would continue to illuminate the earth with fire, and bring light to the people forever.

Do you have any questions or feedback regarding this content? Get in touch and let me know, I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE 

All images shown on this website are watermarked for a reason, they are original art work created by the artist shown at the bottom of each image, and are the property of www.chinabeastsandlegends.com. All right reserved. Should you wish to use these images, commerically or otherwise, please contact me.

 

In addition, all content shown on this website was painstakingly researched and though much of this information is already in the public domain, all of it has been translated and/or interperated by myself and has taken countless hours to create. If you wish to re-use any content, please contact me first and request persmission. Please do not steal.