Di Xin, last ruler of the Shang Dynasty, was a terrible king. He was much given to cruelty and debauchery, filling his days with outrageous feasts, sadistic orgies, and truly awful karaoke sessions. All paid for by the taxpayers.

He went so far off the rails that he paid for an entire park to be constructed out of food and drink. There he would nibble from the meat trees while contemplating new ideas for torturing his servants. His favorite pastime was forcing slaves to swim naked in the wine-filled lake. (Actually that doesn’t sound too bad to us. Perhaps it was a very bad vintage.)

Eventually he was overthrown (despite the aid of Caishen in warrior mode) and committed suicide. Ascending to Heaven, he attempted to put in his immortality claim. There was nothing remotely suitable for a person of his questionable character, so the Heavenly Judges created a post specially for him: God of Sodomy.

We are not sure if that was a punishment or a reward. However, to curtail his activities, he was only granted a single temple at Weihui in Henan. It’s still there to this day, and you can worship there — if you really wish to.

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Article last revised on May 16, 2019 by Rowan Allen.
Editors: Peter J. Allen, Chas Saunders

References: Coming soon.

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