In the old days, many people in Shangdongpu Village, Chaoyang (a county in Teochew), worked as carpenters and frequently worshipped the “Three She Ye” (Sanshe God). There’s a legendary story behind this.

Cai Dongxing’s Dream

During the Ming Dynasty, Cai Dongxing took refuge in the territory of Shangdongpu Village.

One day, he went to a forest to collect firewood for a fire. Perhaps exhausted, he leaned against a tree and dozed off.

In a daze, he seemed to have reached the depths of the woods. He came upon a small wooden cabin, and in front of it, a burly man was absorbed in crafting a wooden object.

He alternated between splitting the log with an axe, smoothing the surface with a planer, and then sawing off the excess wood…

Soon, a beautiful wooden object appeared before Cai Dongxing.

Teaching Carpentry in a Dream

Cai Dongxing was delighted and hurriedly approached the man to ask for his advice.

The Khan generously explained the methods and tools for crafting wooden objects.

Cai Dongxing was mesmerized. It wasn’t until his wife came looking for him that he suddenly woke up. In an instant, the cabin and the man vanished. Cai Dongxing, still leaning against the tree, realized it was all a dream.

“Axe Master’s Birth”

Returning to his temporary residence, Cai Dongxing recounted his story to his family. Everyone believed it was a divine intervention.

So they decided to settle down and designated that day as “Axe Master’s Birth.” Because the man had taught Cai Dongxing the three main tools for crafting wooden objects, he was called “Three She Ye.”

Worshiping “Three She Ye”

From then on, every year on the seventh day of the fifth lunar month, the entire village brought offerings to the old ancestral hall to worship “Three She Ye.”

The offerings included three animals and six fruits. The three animals were three kinds of livestock: chicken, duck, and goose. The six fruits refer to six kinds of fruits. There is no limit to the specific types of fruits, as long as there are six kinds in total.