List of media adaptations of the Investiture of the Gods explained

The Investiture of the Gods, also known as Fengshen Yanyi, is a 16th-century Chinese novel and one of the major vernacular Chinese works in the gods and demons (shenmo) genre written during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). The novel is considered to be one of China's great vernacular fictions and has a significant influence on Chinese and Japanese popular culture.^[1] In Chinese folk religion, several characters from the novel are revered and worshiped as deities. These characters hold a significant place in the religious beliefs and practices of Chinese culture. Their stories and attributes have captivated the imaginations of believers, leading to their deification. The worship of these characters from Fengshen Yanyi serves as a testament to the deep connection between literature, mythology, and Chinese folk religion.^[2] It has been adapted in various forms, including television series, manhua, manga, and video games.

Translations

• Book: Xu Zhonglin. 1992. 1550s. Creation of the Gods. Gu Zhizhong . New World Press. Beijing. 780005134X.
• Book: Xu Zhonglin. 2002. 1550s. Tales of the Teahouse Retold: Investiture of the Gods. Katherine Liang Chew. Writers Club Press. Lincoln, NE. 9780595254194. This is an abridged translation containing only the first 46 chapters out of 100.
• The book was also translated to Dutch as Feng Shen: De Verheffing tot Goden by Nio Joe Lan (Jakarta, 1940).

Films

• The Story of Chinese Gods, a 1975 hand-drawn animated film.^[3]
• Nezha Conquers the Dragon King, a 1979 Chinese animated fantasy film.^[4]
• The Legend of Ne Zha, a 1999 Chinese film.^[5]
• League of Gods, a 2016 3D Chinese movie produced by China Star Entertainment Group.^[6]
• Nezha Conquers The Dragon King, a 2019 Chinese film.^[7]
• Ne Zha, a 2019 Chinese 3D animation film.^[8]
• Jiang Ziya, a 2020 Chinese 3D animation film.^[9]
• , a 2021 Chinese 3D animation film.^[10]
• , a 2022 Chinese 3D animation film.
• Fengshen Trilogy
  • , a 2023 Chinese film.^[11]
  • Creation of the Gods II: Demonic Confrontation, an upcoming 2025 Chinese film.
  • Creation of the Gods III: Creation Under Heaven, an upcoming Chinese film.

Television

• God's Parade, a 1981 TVB TV series which has a song performed by Adam Cheng.
• Gods of Honour, a 2001 Hong Kong television series produced by TVB as attributed to God's Parade.^[12]
• The Legend Of Nezha, a 2003 Chinese animated fantasy series.^[13]
• The Legend and the Hero, a 2007 Chinese television series. It was followed by a 2009 sequel, The Legend and the Hero 2.^[14]
• Ghost Catcher: Legend of Beauty, a 2010 Chinese television series.
• The Investiture of the Gods, a 2014 Chinese live action series produced by Shandong Television and starring Sammul Chan and Viann Zhang.^[15]
• Investiture of the Gods, a 2019 Chinese live action series produced by Mango Studio and starring Wang Likun, Luo Jin, Zhang Bo, Yu Hewei, Deng Lun, and Collin Chou.^[16]
• Zhaoge, an upcoming Chinese television series.

Others

• Notable characters from Fengshen Yanyi are enshrined as reliefs in the Tua Pek Kong Temple, Sibu, Malaysia.^[17]
• The Founding of the Zhou Dynasty, the first story arc of the Hong Kong manhua series Legend of Emperors by Wong Yuk-long.
• Unabridged 1970 Pingshu radio program by Yuan Kuocheng, consisting of the entire Fēngshén Yǎnyì in 200 episodes.
• Hoshin Engi, a Japanese manga series by Ryu Fujisaki based on the translation by Tsutomu Ano of the novel.^[18]
• , a 2002 video game by Koei loosely based on the book.
• Warriors Orochi, a video game series produced by Koei. It features three characters from the novel – Daji (called Da Ji in the game), Nezha, and Jiang Ziya (called Taigong Wang in the game) – as playable characters.^[19]
• Chronicles of the God's Order, an ongoing Hong Kong manhua.

Notes and References

1. Book: Knechtges . Taiping Chang . A Dictionary of Chinese Literature . 14 September 2017 . Oxford University Press . 978-0-19-251393-9 . en.
2. Stevens . Keith . The Deification of Heroes Following the Struggle by the Vassal State of Chou to Overthrow the Shang Dynasty . Journal of the Hong Kong Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society . 1998 . 38 . 173–185 . 23889815 . 0085-5774.
3. Web site: The Story of Chinese Gods (1975) . en.
4. News: Nezha Conquers The Dragon King aka Little Nezha Fights Great Dragon Kings [DVD] [Import] [1979]: 9787884146673 - AbeBooks ]. www.abebooks.com . en.
5. Web site: The Legend of Ne Zha 莲花童子 哪咤 . Content Distribution.
6. News: Film review: League of Gods – the only thing special is the effects . South China Morning Post . 29 July 2016 . en.
7. News: ตำนานห้องสิน ตอนนาจาปั่นป่วนทะเล ของผู้กำกับ Luo Le [รีวิว] ]. แมวโม้ดอทคอม . 6 February 2021 . th.
8. News: First Week Box Office of 'Nezha' Makes It Most Successful Chinese Animated Flick Ever - Caixin Global . Caixin Global . 1 August 2019 . en.
9. News: Berra . John . 'Jiang Ziya': Review (China Golden Week) . Screen Daily . 7 October 2020 . en.
10. News: New Gods: Nezha Reborn review: A modern spin to classic legend . Yahoo News . 16 February 2021 . en-SG.
11. Web site: Dream retold for the silver screen . China Daily. 2023-07-27.
12. News: J . Anne . Investiture of the Gods 2019 vs Gods of Honour 2001 . DramaPanda . 2 June 2019.
13. Web site: The Legend Of Nezha– Download APP to Enjoy Now! . iQIYI . en . 1 June 2003.
14. News: เรื่องย่อ The Legend and The Hero ศึกเทพสวรรค์ บัลลังก์มังกร 2 . trueid.net . 28 February 2016 . th.
15. News: Sammul Chan to Portray Youthful Sage in "The Investiture of the Gods" – JayneStars.com . Jayne Stars . 25 October 2013 . en-us.
16. News: 《封神》＂栀子花＂视频 罗晋王丽坤演绎＂那些年＂ . 163.com . 13 July 2015.
17. News: Ping Sien Si Temple rich in culture . The Star . en.
18. Book: Thompson, Jason. Jason Thompson (writer). . Kindle. July 3, 2012. Del Rey Books. 978-0-345-53944-1. 383–384. Ryu Fujisaki's Hoshin Engi (1996), a sci-fi/fantasy title with all the nonstop slugfests and occasional comedy associated with Weekly Shônen Jump, was based on Tsutomu Ano's fantasy novels, which were in turn based on the ancient Chinese novel Fengshen Yangyi ("Creation of the Gods"). Fusing fantasy, history, martial arts battles, and science fiction, Hoshin Engi represents the new wave of fantasy manga that resist categorization into a single genre..
19. News: Guglielmo . Samuel . Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate Gets Another Non-Warriors Character . TechRaptor . 21 October 2019 . en.