LADY QI
Chinese Toilet Goddess
Also known as Ch'i-Fu-Jen, Ch'i-I, Ch'i-Ku, Consort Qi, Qi Furen, Qi Yi, Qigu
Unhappy Goddess of the Lavatory
Like Zigu Shen, she’s one of the Lavatory Ladies; protecting, blessing and disinfecting all who use the smallest room in the house.
The story goes that she was the mistress of Emperor Gaozu (aka Liu Bang), the first Emperor of the Han Dynasty. It was one big unhappy family — the Emperor’s official wife Lü Zhi did not like Lady Qi one bit and they constantly squabbled over domestic issues.
Empress Lü hated her so much that when the Emperor died, she stripped away Lady Qi’s official title — and several of her external body parts.
But worse ignominy was yet to come. Empress Lü grabbed the suffering Lady Qi, hauled her off, and threw her into the dirtiest, smelliest, ugliest, foulest latrine in the whole of China.
Lü then invited her son — the new Emperor — and all his ministers of state to come and see the Human Pig. It must have been a very carefully-worded invitation. But come he did, and fainted dead away at the sight. The sight of his father’s butchered concubine in the pigsty traumatized him so much that he totally lost the will to govern and spent the rest of his life chasing girls and eating cake.
It wasn’t long before poor Lady Qi’s torment became infamous. Her story became legendary and she was elevated to the rank of Goddess. With ‘rank’, we fear, being the operative word.
Lady Qi Facts and Figures
Name: Lady Qi
Pronunciation: Chee Goo
Alternative names: Ch'i-Fu-Jen, Ch'i-I, Ch'i-Ku, Consort Qi, Qi Furen, Qi Yi, Qigu
Gender: Female
Type: Goddess
Celebration or Feast Day: Unknown at present
Role:
In charge of: Lavatories
Area of expertise: Toilets
Good/Evil Rating: NEUTRAL, may not care
Popularity index: 9625
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Article last revised on May 16, 2019 by Rowan Allen.
Editors: Peter J. Allen, Chas Saunders
References: Coming soon.