Heibai Wuchang
Chinese folk deities
The Heibai Wuchang, literally "Black and White Impermanence", are two deities in Chinese folk religion in charge of escorting the spirits of the dead to the underworld. As their names suggest, they are dressed in black and white respectively. They are worshiped as fortune deities and are also worshiped in City God Temples in some countries.
In some instances, the Heibai Wuchang are represented as a single being – instead of two separate beings – known as the Wuchang Gui, literally "Ghost of Impermanence". Depending on the person it encounters, the Wuchang Gui can appear as either a fortune deity who rewards the person for doing good deeds or a malevolent deity who punishes the person for committing evil.
Alternative names
In folklore, the White Guard's name is Xie Bi'an (謝必安; 谢必安; Xiè Bì'ān), which can be interpreted as "Those who make amends ("Xie") will always be at peace ("Bi'an")". The Black Guard's name is Fan Wujiu (范無咎; 范无咎; Fàn Wújiù), which conversely means that "Those who commit crimes ("Fan") will have no salvation ("Wujiu")". They are sometimes referred to as "Generals Fan and Xie" (范謝將軍; 范谢将军; Fàn Xiè Jiāngjūn).
In Fujian Province and among overseas Chinese communities in Southeast Asian countries such as Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia, they are known as "First and Second Masters" (大二老爺; 大二老爷; Dà Èr Lǎoyé) or "First and Second Uncles" (大二爺伯; 大二爷伯; Dà Èr Yébó; Tua Di Ah Pek / Tua Li Ya Pek in Hokkien).
In Taiwan, they are called "Seventh and Eighth Masters" (七爺八爺; 七爷八爷; Qīyé Bāyé).
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