Sacred Mountains each have their own god or several gods and Mount Taibai is no exception. Chinese gods are often historical figures, such as Lao Zi, who are elevated to gods first through their popularity amongst ordinary folks and then by the ruling emperor. Stories about the origin of the three gods of Mount Taibai therefore go back a long way. The oldest tale is about a man from Li Yang by the name of Gu Chun, meaning ‘Spring Valley', who lived deep inside the forests of Mount Taibai during the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD). When he died, his family buried him but during the night his body got up and they saw him leave. Local residents thus believed that he was the god of Mount Taibai and built a temple for him, calling it Taibai (and sometimes Gu Chun) Temple. More recent stories talk of not just one but three Taibai gods because, during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), there were three lakes on Taibai Shan. These lakes were revered for their water and cooling effect and were represented by the three Taibai gods, who were known as Ku Ji (Relieving the Suffering), Hui Min (Benefiting the People) and Ling Ying (Enlightening Answers). Local residents, however, called the three gods Da A Fu (The Great Fortune), Er A Fu (The Second Fortune) and San A Fu (The Third Fortune). But according to poet and politician Yu Youren, the three Taibai gods are Yao, Shun and Yu, or the three demi-gods Earth, Heaven and Water from Chinese legend. And according to the old master Ren Fa Rong, the three Taibai gods are Bo Yi, Shu Qi and Zhou Ben from the Shang Dynasty (17th-11th century BC). Bo Yi and Shu Qi were two princes of the Kingdom of Gu Zhu and Zhou Ben was a general. The king made Shu Qi the crown prince even though Shu Qi was only the third son and Bo Yi the eldest. After the old king died, Shu Qi asked Bo Yi to be the new king but Bo Yi said: We shouldn't resist our father's will, and ran away to Mount Taibai. Shu Qi did not think it was appropriate for him to succeed to the throne since tradition dictated that the throne should be inherited by the oldest son. He therefore gave the throne to the middle son, Ya Ping, and ran after Bo Yi to Mount Taibai. When the Zhou Dynasty overthrew the Shang Dynasty, the two brothers believed it was not right for a vassal lord such as the duke of Zhou to snatch the kingdom from its lawful ruler. Having been told that all under heaven now belongs to the Zhou king, they refused ever to eat again and so starved to death on Mount Taibai . Zhou Ben, the general, chose the same fate. Learning of their deaths, the wise minister of the Zhou Dynasty, Jiang Ziya, made the three men local gods of Mount Taibai for their great virtue and sense of righteousness. Others claim that the third god is not Zhou Ben but Li Bai, the famous poet. During the Qing Dynasty of the 18th century, the province of Shaanxi requested approval from the emperor to incorporate the Taibai gods into official provincial celebrations. This did not come about immediately. In 1774, the 39th year of the Qianlong emperor, Shaanxi province again asked for consent and this time it was granted. As a result, the Taibai gods—previously ranked as mere dukes—acquired the official title of king.