Shen Gongbao a disciple of the Heavenly Primogenitor
Shen Gongbao
Traditional Chinese申公豹
Simplified Chinese申公豹

Shen Gongbao (申公豹) is a major character featured within the famed classic Chinese novel Investiture of the Gods.[1] Shen Gongbao is a disciple of Yuanshi Tianzun, Jiang Ziya's junior fellow apprentice.[2]

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.[3]

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.[4]

Shen Gongbao at Kunlun

Finally, Shen Gongbao was arrested by his master Yuanshi Tianzun. Shen Gongbao was appointed as the General of East Sea (Chinese: 东海分水将军) in the end. The General of East Sea is one of the gods who manage the East China Sea.[5][6]

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.

Film and television

Chinese television

Year English title Chinese title Role Player Notes
1990 The Investiture of the Gods 封神榜 Lei Changxi [7]
1999 The Legend of Ne Zha 莲花童子哪咤 Chen Tianwen [8]
2001 Gods of Honour 封神榜 Joseph Lee Kwok Lun [9]
2006 The Legend and the Hero 封神榜之凤鸣岐山 Miao Haizhong [10]
2009 The Legend and the Hero 2 封神榜之武王伐紂
2014 The Investiture of the Gods 封神英雄榜 Zhang Mingming [11]
2015 The Investiture of the Gods II 封神英雄
2019 Investiture Of the Gods 封神演義 (2019年電視劇) Hai Yitian

Chinese film

Year English title Chinese title Role Player Notes
2016 League of Gods 3D封神榜 Louis Koo
2019 Nezha 哪吒之魔童降世 Yang Wei Voice
2020 Jiang Ziya 姜子牙 Tutehameng Voice
2022 New Gods: Yang Jian 新神榜：杨戬 Yi Zhao[12] Voice
2022 Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms 封神第一部：朝歌风云 Xia Yu

Japanese television

Title Japanese Title Role Player Notes
Fengshen Yanyi 封神演義 Jun'ichi Kanemaru
Fengshen Yanyi 封神演義 Haruhiko Jō
Fengshen Yanyi 封神演義 Akira Ishida
Fengshen Yanyi 封神演義 Kenyu Horiuchi

References

  1. ^ Xu Zhonglin (2012-12-01). 《封神演义》 (in Chinese). Nanchang: Jiangxi Arts Publishing House. ISBN 9787548018544.
  2. ^ Xu Zhonglin (2010-01-01). 《封神演义》 (in Chinese). Changchun: Changchun Publishing House. ISBN 9787544510806.
  3. ^ Xu Zhonglin (1 January 2010). 《封神演义》 (in Chinese). Changchun: Changchun Publishing House. ISBN 9787544510806.
  4. ^ Xu Zhonglin (2013-05-01). 《封神演义》 (in Chinese). Beijing: China Pictorial Publishing House. ISBN 9787514606966.
  5. ^ Xu Zhonglin (2013-04-01). 《封神演义》 (in Chinese). Beijing: Huaxia Publishing House. ISBN 9787508074986.
  6. ^ Service, British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring (1985). Summary of World Broadcasts: The Far East. Part III. Monitoring Service of the British Broadcasting Corporation.
  7. ^ 揭秘90版《封神榜》主演生存现状 (in Chinese). 163.com. 2013.
  8. ^ "⓿⓿ Legends of Nezha (1999) - Singapore - Film Cast - Chinese Movie".
  9. ^ 陈浩民版《封神榜之忠义乾坤》李国麟扮演申公豹 (in Chinese). 2014. Archived from the original on 2016-08-18. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
  10. ^ 苗海忠助阵《女神捕》 申公豹转型逍遥侯 (in Chinese). Sina. 2009.
  11. ^ 申公豹张明明客户端聊《封神榜》 (in Chinese). Sohu. 2014.
  12. ^ Daniels, Robert (19 January 2023). "'New Gods: Yang Jian' Review: 'Cowboy Bebop' Without the Bop". The New York Times.
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