The villagers of Nanlong, Didu, Jieyang (a county in Teochew), have a custom of worshipping the Bull-Lion God. The fifth day of the first lunar month is said to be the Bull’s birthday.

On this day, villagers always parade the Bull-Lion God around the village. On the day before Mid-Autumn Festival, shadow puppet shows are performed to commemorate the Bull-Lion God. The origin of this custom is well-known.

A Water Buffalo Bravely Fights a Tiger

Legend has it that in ancient times, at the foot of Didudong Mountain in Jieyang, lived two families named Chen and Cheng. One year, on the day before Mid-Autumn Festival, the father of a ten-year-old child named Chen asked him to drive his cattle to the foot of Yougan Mountain in the east to graze.

Near noon, a tiger leaped from the mountain and attacked the child. The large water buffalo protected the child and engaged the tiger. The old buffalo fought with increasing courage, and the tiger, pierced by the bull’s pry, fell to the ground and died. The buffalo turned around and saw the child unconscious on the ground. It hooked the child’s belt with its horns and brought him home.

Accidental Killing of a Water Buffalo

When the owner and his neighbors returned home, they saw the old buffalo hooking the child with its horns. They believed the buffalo had gored the child to death. In anger, the buffalo beat the child to death with hammers.

At this point, the child awoke, crying as he recounted the story of the old bull fighting a tiger at the foot of Yougan Mountain. Upon hearing this, his father immediately went to the foot of the mountain to see.

Sure enough, a tiger lay dead. It was then realized that the bull had truly fought and killed the tiger, and that the bull had been mistakenly killed.

The buffalo was deified

After returning home, they buried it at the foot of Amla Mountain.

Then they believed it was a lion-bull. A small temple was built there. An altar was enshrined for the old bull, and three sacrificial animals were offered as offerings. The bull was named “Bull-Lion God.”

Thereafter, the villagers would come here every first and fifteenth day of the lunar month to pray for their safety while herding cattle on the mountain. A statue of the Bull-Lion God was built in the “Three Mountain Kings” temple to commemorate him.