Shangdi is the Supreme sovereign and ancestor, it is he that gives power to the Emperor. He punishes the bad and rewards the good. He is omniscient and omnipresent and acts through his ministers Guan Yu, Cheng Huang and Tu di. The belief in this ancestral god somewhat faded by the time of the Han dynasty and he is venerated mainly by followers of Confucius. The Emperor was thought of as his representative on Earth and only the Emperor could worship him as he was the only conduit to heaven.

The Monkey King Sūn Wùkōng is the hero of the famous book ‘Journey to the West’ which tells how Xuanzang and his followers traveled to India to bring back Buddhist scriptures. He is endearingly dismissive of authority and loyal to his friends. He wields a cudgel stick that can grow to any size he chooses. He is mischievous but very clever and full of energy. 

The Goddess of the Moon Chang’e (or Chang Er) stole the potion of immortality from her husband the Archer God Hou Yi and fled to the Moon. There she is kept company by the Jade Rabbit. Her husband then visited and built a palace for her there, they now meet at full moon each month. Another legend says she changed into a tortoise that can be seen as the markings on the moon's surface. The Mid-Autumn Moon Festival celebrates Chang’e and her story.

The Duke of Thunder Lei Gong, is depicted as a hideous looking black demon with bat's wings; a monkey's face and an eagle's beak. In one hand he holds a steel chisel while in the other a hammer with which he beats numerous drums.

Xiwangmu (西王母), or Queen Mother of the West, is one of the most ancient and powerful goddesses in the Chinese pantheon. She has complete control over life, death, creation, and destruction. She is married to the Jade Emperor (玉皇) and tends to the Peaches of Immortality in their palace gardens. Xiwangmu is thought to have once been a wild demon that lived in the mountains and caused cataclysmic disasters. After repenting her evil ways, she achieved enlightenment and became a goddess.

In Chinese mythology, Guanyin (觀音) is the goddess of mercy and considered to be the physical embodiment of compassion. She is an all-seeing, all-hearing being who is called upon by worshipers in times of uncertainty, despair, and fear. Guanyin is originally based on the Hindu god Avalokiteśvara. Avalokiteśvara’s myth spread throughout China during the advent of Buddhism and mixed with local folklore in a process known as syncretism to become the modern day understanding of Guanyin. Though she can take both male and female form, she is most often represented as a woman in Chinese lore.

In Chinese mythology, Lu Ban (魯班) is the god of carpentry and furniture and is the patron saint of builders and contractors. An innovator and engineer, Lu Ban is credited with several creative inventions, such as the saw and the shovel. His name is comprised of the character lǔ (魯), the name of his province, and bān (班), which is a common Chinese surname.

In Chinese mythology, Fuxi is seen as mankind’s first male ancestor, a cultural hero, and one of the most benevolent gods in Ancient China. Fuxi is credited with creating several innovations that benefited humanity like the invention of the writing system, fishing, and the domestication of animals. In Chinese mythology, Nüwa (女媧) is considered to be the first being with the ability to procreate and is the creator of all mankind. Ancient Chinese society was fiercely matriarchal, so Nüwa, being the mother of all humans, was considered a very important deity. She has a hand in a number of stories but is most commonly associated with China’s creation myth and for saving humanity by mending a hole in the sky after a great flood. Today, Nüwa is still a popular deity and is usually prayed to by women who need divine assistance with marital affairs or fertility issues.