Shen Gongbao



Shen Gongbao (申公豹) is a major character featured within the famed classic Chinese novel Investiture of the Gods. Shen Gongbao is a disciple of Yuanshi Tianzun, Jiang Ziya's junior fellow apprentice.

Background
The earliest source of the character Shen Gongbao is in the novel Fengshen Yanyi, but according to some scientific theses from the 2000s in China, the portrayal of Shen Gongbao may have originated from the practice of tiger worship in Jinan that existed long before the appearance of the novel Fengsheng Yanyi.

In Fangshen Yanyi, Shen Gongbao is good at communication, persuasion, and magic arts in general. He first appeared as a Yaojing terrorizing the Mysterious Fog Mountain. Then one day, Hongjun Laozu arrived and defeated him. He then took Shen Gongbao to Yuanshi Tianzun at Kunlun Mountain to practice Taoism so he could become a god. Later, Shen Gongbao left Kunlun Mountain to assist King Zhou of Shang to battle the Eastern Kingdom (Xiqui) and regarded Jiang Ziya as his enemy.

Finally, Shen Gongbao was arrested by his master Yuanshi Tianzun. Shen Gongbao was appointed as the General of East Sea in the end. The General of East Sea is one of the gods who manage the East China Sea.

In classical Chinese artwork, Shen Gongbao is frequently depicted as a deity riding a white-foreheaded tiger (白額虎), holding a treasure sword (寶劍) in one hand and a celestial pearl (開天珠) in the other, both possessing the ability to subdue demons. In contrast, in Chinese opera, Shen Gongbao is often portrayed as a deity riding a black panther, with a dark, flowing beard, while one hand is raised high and the other is poised for action.