Bixia Yuanjun, whose full title is "Tianxian Shengmu Bixia Yuanjun" (Celestial Immortal Holy Mother Bixia Yuanjun), is extremely worshipped in northern China. Legend has it that her "hometown" is Mount Tai in Shandong Province, and there is currently a Bixia Temple on the top of Mount Tai.
The Taoist scripture Bixia Yuanjun Huguo Bimin Puji Baosheng Miaojing (The Sublime Scripture of Bixia Yuanjun Protecting the Country, Blessing the People, Universally Relieving Suffering and Safeguarding Life) states that she was originally a celestial immortal in the upper realm, having attained the position of Taiyi Qingxuan. Seeing all living beings trapped in suffering, she divided her body and transformed her qi, descending to Mount Tai; she took the form of a jade maiden, and later was conferred the title of Bixia. She commands the divine troops of Mount Dai, oversees the good and evil deeds of humans, protects the country and its people, and universally aids all living beings.
In addition, there are the following theories about the origin of Bixia Yuanjun:
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One theory holds that Bixia Yuanjun's predecessor was a jade maiden. It is said that during the Han Dynasty, there were statues of a golden boy and a jade maiden in a palace hall. By the Five Dynasties period, the hall collapsed; the golden boy statue weathered away, while the jade maiden statue fell into a pool. During the Song Dynasty, Emperor Zhenzong went to Mount Tai to perform the fengshan (imperial sacrifices to heaven and earth) ceremony. When he came to the pool to wash his hands, a stone figure suddenly emerged. Emperor Zhenzong ordered his men to fish it out, and after cleaning it, they found it was exactly the jade maiden statue. Therefore, Emperor Zhenzong ordered the construction of a temple on Mount Tai to enshrine and worship her, regarding her as the daughter of the Holy Emperor, and thus conferred upon her the title of "Tianxian Yunu Bixia Yuanjun" (Immortal Celestial Jade Maiden, Primordial Lord of Azure Mist).
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Another theory suggests that Bixia Yuanjun was a fairy under Emperor Huangdi (the Yellow Emperor). When Emperor Huangdi built the Daiyue Temple, he dispatched seven fairies. These seven fairies, wearing cloud crowns and feathered robes, welcomed the True Person from the Western Kunlun Mountains. One of the fairies practiced diligently with the True Person and eventually attained enlightenment, becoming Bixia Yuanjun.
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According to Yunü Juan (Scroll of the Jade Maiden), during the reign of Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty, there was a great virtuous man named Shi Shoudao. His wife, Lady Jin, gave birth to a goddess-child, who was extremely intelligent: she understood human relations at the age of three, mastered various doctrines at seven, and worshipped the Queen Mother of the West day and night. At the age of fourteen, she received guidance from Immortal Cao and entered the Huanghua Cave on Mount Tai to practice. After achieving enlightenment, she ascended to immortality and became Bixia Yuanjun.
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Some also claim that Bixia Yuanjun is the daughter of Dongyue Dadi (the Great Emperor of the Eastern Mountain). In fact, both Bixia Yuanjun and Dongyue Dadi are personifications of mountain gods, originating from ancient people's primitive worship of mountains.
Bixia Yuanjun's birthday is the 18th day of the fourth lunar month. Around her birthday, when spring blooms in the Mount Tai area, the mountain is often crowded with people ascending to burn incense, offer sacrifices, make wishes, and fulfill vows to Bixia Yuanjun, forming a continuous stream from the foot to the top of the mountain.
