Two Civil Door Gods from Mianzhu: the White Cockatoo 白鹦鹉记

Evil Mei Lun on the left with the magic cup; Pan Ge holding the cockatoo

Here’s a pair of civil door gods from Mianzhu in Sichuan. These deities are generally anonymous and hold symbols bestowing wishes for high rank and salary, but unusually these depict central characters from the Sichuan opera “The White Cockatoo”.

The story goes that during the regin of the last ruler of the Shang dynasty (1075–1046 BC), a barbarian state presents three treasures in tribute: a white cockatoo which calls out a person’s true nature; a cup which magically warms wine; and a felt shawl which brings sobriety. Concubine Su Ying (苏英), three months pregnant and favoured by the king, is given these treasures to guard. Meanwhile her childless rival, Concubine Mei, jealously plots with her brother Mei Lun (梅伦) to ruin Su’s position at court: they get her drunk, kill the cockatoo and have Su condemned to death.

The virtuous minister Pan Ge (潘葛) realises that Su is innocent and persuades his own wife to be executed in her place, while he sneaks the real Su out of the palace. On the run, Su gives birth to a son in a bamboo grove and abandons him to be raised by a peasant family.

Thirteen years later mother and son are reunited and return to court to claim the prince’s birthright. The king, who has long regretted his descision to have Su Ying executed, recognises her and, delighted to learn he has an heir, restores her to favour. Concubine Mei is imprisoned, Mei Lun executed, and everything ends well.