Hanlu Temple · A temple you can walk into
Wealth Hall
The west-facing hall on the east side of the compound. The English name is misleading: there is no single Chinese god of wealth.
In the hall
Red-and-gold robe, an ingot held in both hands, a Sangharama attendant standing to one side. Incense coils hang from the beam above the door.
The figure is seated square to the door, which is deliberate: wealth is supposed to come in, not wander past.
Who is this
There are civil gods of wealth — Bi Gan, who had no heart and so could not be bribed, and Fan Li, who retired rich — and martial ones, chiefly Zhao Gongming and Guandi. Add the Five Directions and you have a small department.
In a Buddhist temple, Guandi is usually re-cast as a protector rather than a money god. The overlap is folk, not doctrinal.
In a real temple
Shops keep a wealth god facing the entrance. The fifth day of the first lunar month is the day to welcome him, and traditionally the day businesses reopen after the new year.
Offerings lean on puns: fish for surplus, rice cakes for rising. The point is the wordplay, not the expense — a large offering is not thought to work better.
Written in English for readers outside China; the Chinese version is longer. All eight lots of this hall are in the lot library.