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The Yi-Hai Tai Sui: General Ren Bao
A wandering fighter with a black staff who saved hostages and never took a reward.
- Guardian of
- People born in a Yi-Hai year, the Year of the Pig
- Born between
- Jan 31, 1995 – Feb 18, 1996
- Past life (legend)
- Ren Bao, a skilled fighter in the chaos of the Five Dynasties (folk legend)
- Symbol
- A heavy black staff: strength that shows up when it counts
If you were born between these dates, you were born in a Yi-Hai year, the Year of the Pig, and General Ren Bao watches over you.
(A new year starts on Lunar New Year’s Day.)
A vine growing in winter water
Yi is soft wood, a vine that finds its way around anything in its path. Hai is the last Earthly Branch, winter water flowing deep underground, quiet and very powerful.
General Ren Bao guards this year. People born in Yi-Hai years can seem gentle and low-key, but they bend instead of breaking, and when there is no way back, their stored-up strength comes out all at once.
The fiercest look of all
He has a smooth, round head with a small green cap, wide face, thick brows, big eyes and a black mustache. He wears a golden orange battle robe under a yellow cloak.
In both hands he grips a heavy black staff with gold rings at the end. Evil spirits are said to tremble when they see it.
One against twelve
According to legend, he was Ren Bao, a skilled fighter in the Five Dynasties, a time of warlords and bandits when ordinary people had no one to protect them. He tried for an official post but was pushed aside, so he settled in a remote village, did hard work for a living, and taught the children to fight.
One year, bandits raided the village and took more than ten women and children hostage. Ren Bao went into their hideout alone at night with his black staff. He fought twelve men, took several cuts, and did not stop until the last one was down. Then he brought everyone home.
"I'm strong, so why not use it?"
For ten years after that, wherever there was trouble, his black staff showed up. He never asked for anything in return. When people asked why, he said, "I'm strong. Might as well use it."
Heaven named him the Tai Sui of the Yi-Hai year. A black staff in his hand and courage when it matters: that is his gift to everyone born in the Year of the Pig.
Questions people ask
Who is the Tai Sui for people born in 1995?
People born between Jan 31, 1995 and Feb 18, 1996 were born in a Yi-Hai year, the Year of the Pig. Their Tai Sui is General Ren Bao.
Who was General Ren Bao before becoming a Tai Sui?
Ren Bao, a skilled fighter in the chaos of the Five Dynasties (folk legend).
What does General Ren Bao hold?
A heavy black staff: strength that shows up when it counts.
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