Jiang Ziya — Investiture of the Gods, the source novel
At a glance100 chapters · completed
The film Jiang Ziya draws on Feng Shen Yan Yi (封神演义), Investiture of the Gods, a classic Ming-era novel in 100 chapters attributed to Xu Zhonglin (许仲琳). It tells of the fall of the Shang dynasty and the war between gods, immortals and demons that accompanies the rise of the Zhou. Jiang Ziya is its central character.
Origins and publication
In the novel, Jiang Ziya, also called Jiang Shang, is a disciple of the Primeval Lord of Heaven on Mount Kunlun. Sent into the human world at an advanced age, he fishes on the Wei River with a straight hook, waiting for fate to come to him. King Wen of Zhou finds him and makes him his adviser. Jiang Ziya then leads the Zhou armies against King Zhou of Shang, whose favourite, Daji, is possessed by a nine-tailed fox.
At the end of the war, Jiang Ziya presides over the investiture of the gods, granting heavenly posts to the heroes who fell in battle. The novel fixed the legend of many Chinese folk deities.
How it differs from the donghua
The film begins where the novel ends. It imagines a fallen Jiang Ziya consumed by doubt, far from the book's serene strategist. The fox demon is no longer simply evil but bound to an innocent girl. Above all, the film turns heavenly order and Jiang Ziya's master into an ambiguous force, whereas the novel presents the war as the fulfilment of destiny.
Reception and success
Investiture of the Gods is one of China's great popular novels, though not one of the Four Great Classical Novels. It has inspired countless adaptations, from operas to live-action films and manga. The saying "Jiang Taigong fishes: the fish that wants to bites" comes from the straight-hook episode and has become proverbial.
Trivia
- The novel is also the source of Ne Zha and Ne Zha 2, which share Jiang Ziya's universe.
- In 2023, Wuershan's live-action film Creation of the Gods I also adapted the novel, with Huang Bo as Jiang Ziya.
- Ryu Fujisaki's Japanese manga Hoshin Engi is a loose adaptation of the novel, with Jiang Ziya (Taikobo) as hero.
My take
The novel is long and dense, with hundreds of characters and often repetitive magical battles. But it teems with ideas and unforgettable figures. For fans of Coloroom's films, it is the key to the universe: you learn who Jiang Ziya, Shen Gongbao and Daji are.
Who is it for?For anyone curious about Chinese mythology, and for fans of Ne Zha and Jiang Ziya who want to go back to the source.
— Spidermas, for Donghua Fan
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