Liu Chenxiang


Liu Chenxiang is a folk hero and demigod in the Chinese folktale The Magic Lotus Lantern. On the Western Peak of Mount Hua stands the legendary Axe-splitting Rock, a giant stone approximately one hundred feet tall, marked by three distinct cut sections. According to legend, Liu Chenxiang cleaved this rock in his heroic effort to split the mountain and rescue his mother, who was imprisoned within.

Legend

The story of Liu Chenxiang has undergone numerous adaptations, with variations and conflicting details, but the general plot outline is as follows:
Liu Chenxiang is the son of Liu Yanchang, also known as Liu Xi, a scholar, and Huayue Sanniang, the daughter of Emperor Xiyue, one of the Five Great Mountain Emperors. Huayue has a brother named Huashan Erlang. When Erlang discovers this forbidden union, he becomes furious and imprisons his sister beneath a mountain, punishing her for violating heaven's rules by marrying a human. As Liu Chenxiang grows, he learns of his mother's plight. Guided by the celestial mentor Pili Daxian, he sheds his mortal constraints and gains powerful skills. Under Pili Daxian's tutelage, Liu Chenxiang masters divine abilities, allowing him to challenge his uncle, Erlang. In the end, Liu Chenxiang defeats Erlang, splits the mountain, and rescues his mother, restoring their family and ending the conflict. The Jade Emperor then decrees that Huayue Erlang be demoted to the back hall of Mount Hua, while Huayue Sanniang is placed in charge of the front hall. Liu Xi is appointed as the City God of Yangzhou, and Liu Chenxiang becomes the ruler of the Three Realms.
In the 18th-century Qing dynasty's Chenxiang Treasure Scroll, Liu Chenxiang is thirteen years old when he rescues his mother. The story follows his growth from the age of seven at the beginning to thirteen during the mountain splitting incident. In this version, it is not Tieguai Li but Lü Dongbin who takes Liu Chenxiang as his disciple. His teacher varies depending on the preference of the storyteller, including Monkey King, Lü Dongbin, He Xiangu, Li Tieguai, Taibai Jinxing, Pili Daxian, and Shen Gongbao. Lü Dongbin grants Chenxiang a sword to fight against Erlang, assisting him from the sidelines.
Towards the end of the story, Liu Chenxiang is deceived by Erlang and imprisoned in a deep well along with Sanniang, facing the imminent threat of being burned alive. Fortunately, Lü Dongbin arrives just in time to rescue them. Eventually, with the combined efforts of San Shengmu and Liu Chenxiang, they defeat Erlang and free themselves. As a result, the Jade Emperor decrees that mother and son must return to heaven.
Liu Chenxiang is often mistakenly identified as the nephew of Erlang Shen. However, in the original story, the Erlang mentioned is not Erlang Shen of Sichuan but Huayue Erlang, the guardian of Huashan and the son of Emperor Xiyue. The misconception that confused these figures originated from the 2005 TV series Lotus Lantern, which inaccurately depicted Liu Chenxiang’s mother as the younger sister of Erlang Shen. This confusion arose due to the gradual merging of the two legends over generations. The misconception has also led to the portrayal of Erlang Shen as Liu Chenxiang's uncle in modern films and animations.

Influence

Films