Chinese folk religion presents a remarkably fluid and layered pantheon, drawing simultaneously on ancient folk beliefs, Daoist and Buddhist traditions, Confucian values, and local cults. At the highest level of the cosmos, worship often centers on the Jade Emperor (Yù Huáng Dàdì), regarded as a celestial ruler presiding over Heaven and the other gods, alongside a more impersonal Heaven (Tiān) that sometimes takes on personal form. Cosmic deities such as the Dipper Mother (Doumu) and Tài​yí, as well as the Dragon Kings who govern seas, rivers, and rain, express a vision of the universe as alive with spiritual intelligences. These figures are not abstract concepts but living presences invoked for order, protection, and the regulation of natural forces vital to agrarian and maritime life.

Closer to human communities, a dense network of territorial and household deities shapes everyday religious practice. The Earth God (Tǔdì Gōng) and the City Gods (Chénghuáng) guard specific plots of land, neighborhoods, and cities, overseeing both physical well‑being and moral order, and even judging the dead. Within the home, the Kitchen God (Zàojūn) observes family conduct and reports to Heaven, while Door Gods, hearth spirits, and other minor household protectors form a spiritual perimeter around domestic life. Ancestors themselves are treated as powerful protective spirits, honored through tablets, altars, and offerings, so that the boundary between family and divinity becomes porous and dynamic.

Alongside these more universal figures stand deities who began as human beings and were later deified, revealing how moral virtue, courage, or special skills can be transmuted into sacred authority. Guān Yǔ (Guāndì or Guān Gōng), a historical general, is revered as a god of loyalty, righteousness, and martial protection, while Mazu, originally a Fujianese woman, is honored as a sea goddess and patroness of sailors, fishermen, and migrants. Wealth Gods (Cáishén) such as Bìgān or Zhao Gongming, city founders, loyal officials, and local heroes may all become territorial or functional deities, reflecting the needs and memories of particular communities. In this way, the pantheon remains open‑ended, continually incorporating new figures as they prove spiritually efficacious.

Daoist and Buddhist currents flow deeply through this landscape of worship. Guanyin, originally the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara, is venerated as a merciful goddess of compassion and child‑giving, while high Daoist deities such as the Three Pure Ones and the deified Laozi (Taishang Laojun) are honored as embodiments of the Dao. The Eight Immortals, semi‑legendary Daoist figures, are invoked for blessings and protection, and underworld judges such as Yama (Yánluó Wáng) and the Ten Kings preside over the fate of souls after death. Stellar and fate deities, including the Star Lords, the Three Stars Fú, Lù, Shòu, and Tai Sui, link human destiny to the movements of the heavens, suggesting that fortune, office, and longevity are woven into a larger cosmic pattern.

Finally, a wide array of specialized deities attends to particular human needs and vocations. Wenchang is approached by students and scholars as the god of literature and examinations, while medicine and healing gods such as Huatuo and Yao Wang are invoked for health. Child‑giving and fertility deities, often regional goddesses or forms of Guanyin, address the deep concern for lineage and continuity, and many crafts and trades maintain their own patron gods. In actual practice, a temple or household shrine rarely attempts to encompass this entire pantheon; instead, it gathers a small constellation of cosmic deities, protective or wealth gods, local land or city gods, revered figures like Guanyin or Mazu, and family ancestors. The result is a living, adaptive religious tapestry in which heaven, earth, and human society are bound together through an ever‑shifting network of sacred relationships.