Quick Answer: Who Is Ao Qin?
Ao Qin (敖欽, Áo Qīn) is the South Sea Dragon King (南海龍王, Nánhǎi Lóngwáng) in Journey to the West. He appears with the other Sea Dragon Kings in the third chapter. When Sun Wukong demands equipment to go with his new staff, Ao Qin offers a crown with phoenix-wing decoration.[1]
- Realm: The novel assigns Ao Qin the South Sea.
- Gift: The phoenix-wing crown distinguishes his contribution from the armor and shoes.
- Rain: He joins his brothers when Wukong asks for their help against Red Boy.
Ao Qin’s role in the novel and the worship of a South Sea god in Guangzhou have separate sources.[1][2][3][4]
The crown is the quickest way to tell Ao Qin apart when all four Sea Dragon Kings appear together. The novel also gives him a role in a later episode about rain.
Ao Qin’s Crown in Chapter Three
In chapter three of Journey to the West, Ao Guang names his brother Ao Qin as ruler of the South Sea. The kings gather because Wukong, already in possession of the divine iron, asks for clothing and equipment. The ruler of each sea brings a different item.[1]
Ao Qin provides a purple-gold crown described with phoenix wings. The West Sea king supplies armor, and the North Sea king supplies shoes. The separate gifts give each brother a recognizable part in the scene. The text’s name for the crown identifies the gift without requiring one exact design for its wings.[1]
Rain and the Four Kings in the Red Boy Episode
In the Red Boy episode, Wukong asks the East Sea ruler for rain to help rescue his master. The king explains that sending formal rain depends on the Jade Emperor’s orders and the coordination of other figures. He then summons his brothers. Ao Qin is again called the South Sea Dragon King.[2]
The four kings bring rain, but it fails to extinguish Red Boy’s supernatural fire. This is a separate appearance of Ao Qin in a collective role. The episode shows both the kings’ association with rain and a limit the novel places on what they can do in that encounter.[2]
Ao Qin and Guangzhou’s South Sea God
The South Sea God Temple in Guangzhou has a documented history of maritime worship. The municipal cultural bureau describes seafarers making offerings for safe passage and officials holding ceremonies at the temple. The Huangpu district account identifies the deity there as Zhurong.[3][4]
That name belongs to the temple’s own account. In the novel, Ao Qin is named when the brothers assemble and when he supplies the crown. A shared reference to the South Sea gives a useful comparison between fiction and local religion without proving that the two names identify the same figure.[1][3][4]
How to Identify Ao Qin in a Group
Start with the realm and then check the episode. South Sea and the phoenix-wing crown identify Ao Qin in chapter three. The armor is the contribution of Ao Run in that chapter. A picture of several kings with no gifts or names gives fewer clues, so a caption or source can be decisive.[1]
In the rain episode, look for the title rather than the crown. It places Ao Qin among the brothers who respond to the summons, so the southward title still distinguishes him even when the crown is absent.[2]
FAQs About Ao Qin
Which sea does Ao Qin rule?
The novel calls Ao Qin the South Sea Dragon King in the palace scene and again in the Red Boy episode.[1][2]
What does Ao Qin give Sun Wukong?
Ao Qin offers the purple-gold crown with phoenix-wing decoration. The other brothers contribute armor and shoes.[1]
Is Ao Qin the god worshipped at Guangzhou’s South Sea Temple?
The Huangpu district account identifies the deity of that temple as Zhurong. Ao Qin is the name used for the South Sea Dragon King in Journey to the West.[1][4]
資料來源
[1] Chinese Wikisource. Journey to the West, chapter three
[2] Chinese Wikisource. Journey to the West, chapter forty-one
[3] Guangzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism. South Sea God Temple
[4] Huangpu District Government. Maritime Silk Road Heritage at Fuxu