Traditions assert that a mortal named Zhang was a wealthy farmer who owned an acreage of fertile land with great harvests and livestock.  He had everything he needed and had a good family.  However, one day he became attracted to a concubine and his wife eventually left him.  He lived a vicarious life until he exhausted all his wealth.  His concubine left him and he was left to wander the streets as a homeless beggar.

One day in the winter Zhang became too weak and fainted while knocking on a door begging for food.  The lovely lady who answered the door took him in and nursed him back to health.  When he awoke he found himself in a small kitchen next to the warm hearth.  When he looked out the window he had seen his host.  To his surprise it was his old wife.  Embarrassed and not being able to look her in the face he jumped into the hearth.  She tried to douse him with water but the fire kept on blaring and in a flash his ashes went to the heavens.

Upon receiving a report of Zhang's story, the Jade Emperor declared and appointed Zhang to be the Kitchen God. The heavenly ruler declared that someone who learned such a lesson would be all knowing and could influence the heavens for eternity.

Spring Festival traditionally begins on the 23^rd or 24^th of the 12th month of the lunar calendar.  This day, called Xiao Nian  which occurs about 7 days before the Chinese New Year, marks the beginning of the holiday as the households begin "Spring Cleaning" to prepare for the New Year Celebration.  This also marks the day the legendary Kitchen God is sent to everyone's house to oversee the affairs of the household.  It is said that the Kitchen God on the last night of the twelfth month, returns to heaven to report back to the Jade Emperor about the harvest and behavior of the families.

It is therefore a tradition to offer sacrifices of sweet candies and/or cakes made of Lotus to the Kitchen God so that he has difficulty speaking and passing on any negative reports.  Interestingly enough the sacrifice is a compromise since the Kitchen God never minds the sweet candy and usually accepts it.

On New Year's Eve (the last evening of the lunar year), the Kitchen god and various other gods will come down to earth to spend the New Year's Day with the mortals. On New Year's Eve people of all walks of life hold a feast to usher in the Gods.   After the feast they burn kitchen God Prints, paper chairs, and paper horses while sprinkling over the flames three cups of liquor to bid the gods farewell.  It is then responsibility of every family to pay respect to their ancestors.  They might have a family tree with some food, drink and incense burning to their honor.

The Kitchen God is represented by a rice paper print and hung in the kitchen near the stove.  He is considered the soul of the household and is usually placed near the hearth for that reason.  After making sweet sacrifices to the Kitchen God, Qingdao locals burn the print so that the Kitchen God can go to the heavens and meet with the Jade Emperor (keep in mind that this is a Taoist tradition even though many non Taoist mainland Chinese have assimilated it into their culture).

There are many nationalities in China, and traditions vary from county to county and province to province.  For instance, in Shandong many people burn the Kitchen God Print to send him to the Jade Emperor on Xiao Nian.  In other places they wait untill New Year's Eve.  Today, many people may have a wood version that sits near the stove as a permanent fixture.  They also sell prints at temple fairs and cultural stores. These versions are not intended to be permanent fixtures in your kitchen and Kitchen God prints are sold separately for this annual burning.

The Kitchen God is an important deity in China. It is considered the soul of the kitchen in many households.  Sacrifices are made to this deity in the belief that the Kitchen God will ensure that there is abundant food, good harvests, and good health.  No matter where you are, if the locals believe in the Kitchen God, they will post a new print in the kitchen and a Door God on the door symbolizing that the Spring Festival is starting. The Kitchen God is always welcomed back to Qingdao!