Na Zha: God of White Crane

It is a common Chinese martial arts strategy to feign weakness, softness or childish incompetence in order to lure the opponent into making a grievous error that costs him perhaps his life while ensuring victory for you. A true master of that, quite Daoist strategy is Na Zha who is a Daoist god who is depicted as a small boy. Although he is just a boy he is a skilled warrior and has a reputation for acting with utter ferocity when protecting people who worship him. He is extremely popular in Taiwan because of his courage and martial skill. It is kind of an interesting contrast. He appears as a kind of soft faced chubby little boy but he is hell on wheels in a fight and he is absolutely loyal to people who are loyal to him--well, so the Daoist folk belief goes.



"Na Zha: a God of White Crane, Deity of the Nine Heavens, Wind and Fire of the Three Field City" as he appears in the WCRI Wushu Guan Shrine (龛 Kan).

This enfant terrible’s formal Daoist name is Na Zha Qiansui. He appears in two classic Ming dynasty novels; the Investiture of the Gods and Journey to the West. In Journey to the West, Na Zha was a general who entered into combat against the main character in the book, the Monkey King Sun Wukong. This was one case where Na Zha was beaten and forced to retreat.

The circumstances of his birth were curious, he was born into a military household, he was the third son of a military commander known as Li Jing. When Na Zha’s mother became pregnant, she waited for three years and six months to deliver the boy, but unfortunately a meat ball was born. His father got so angry that he split it with a sword, which caused Na Zha to jump out and grow fully, even though his mind and temperament were that of a child.

Taiwan has a long tradition of “spirit mediums”, which are people who are possessed by certain Daoist gods and who the gods speak through. Na Zha, because of his popularity in Taiwan, is often channeled by Taiwanese mediums. Na Zha’s “appearances” are known for three things; the unearthly high pitched child’s whine with which he speaks, the skill of his martial movements, and “in your face” ferocity of his presence.

In addition to super human ferocity and loyalty, Na Zha has another power; he is able to grow additional heads and limbs! He also has the ability to “survive” down through the ages. In the “real world” he first appeared in Ming dynasty novels and he is now, in the 21st century, a popular animated character in Japanese comics and films.