Shen Gongbao () is a major character in the Chinese novel Investiture of the Gods (Fengshen Yanyi). He is a disciple of Yuanshi Tianzun and a junior fellow apprentice of Jiang Ziya. After learning that Jiang Ziya had been chosen to assist the Zhou dynasty and carry out the investiture of the gods, Shen Gongbao turns against him and supports the Shang dynasty. He persuades various practitioners, including members of the Jiejiao, to oppose Jiang Ziya and the Zhou forces. He later breaks a promise made to Yuanshi Tianzun not to interfere with Jiang Ziya and is punished by being placed in the North Sea eye. At the end of the novel, he is included in the investiture and appointed the General Who Divides the Waters of the Eastern Sea ().
In Fengshen Yanyi
Shen Gongbao first appears in chapter 37, when he visits Jiang Ziya on Kunlun Mountain and attempts to persuade him to abandon his mission to assist the Zhou forces. Shen Gongbao demonstrates a supernatural ability to remove his own head and later restore it to his body. Nanji Xianweng sends Baihe Tongzi to take away Shen Gongbao's head. Jiang Ziya subsequently asks Nanji Xianweng to return it, and Shen Gongbao survives.
After leaving Kunlun Mountain, Shen Gongbao opposes Jiang Ziya and supports King Zhou of Shang. He travels among various practitioners and persuades them to oppose Jiang Ziya and the Zhou forces. Among those whom he recruits or influences are members of the Jiejiao, as well as other supernatural figures who later fight against the Zhou army.
Shen Gongbao later confronts Jiang Ziya at Jiameng Pass. He initially gains the advantage, but Qiu Liusun intervenes and captures him. Shen Gongbao promises Yuanshi Tianzun that he will no longer interfere with Jiang Ziya, but later breaks his promise and takes part in the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation. After the formation is defeated, Yuanshi Tianzun orders the Yellow Turban Strongmen to seize Shen Gongbao and place his body in the eye of the North Sea.
At the end of the novel, Shen Gongbao is included in Jiang Ziya's investiture and appointed General Who Divides the Waters of the Eastern Sea ().
Interpretations Scholar Bai Wei describes Shen Gongbao as a tragic figure, arguing that his fate is shaped both by his personality and by the way the author constructed the character. Bai describes him as an antagonist known for misleading others and stirring up disputes. She notes the xiehouyu (allegorical saying) “Shen Gongbao's mouth—stirring up trouble” (). Bai also points to his arrogance, jealousy, and tendency to hold grudges, and states that the name Shen Gongbao is used to mock people who are seen as arrogant or destructive.
Worship Shen Gongbao is worshipped as a deity in some Chinese folk religious traditions. At Jin Ling Temple (金嶺廟) in Malaysia, he is worshipped under the title Shen Gongbao Bogong (申公豹伯公).
In Houyu Village, Gushan Town, Jin'an District, Fuzhou, Shen Gongbao is worshipped as the principal deity of the Aofeng Jing (鳌峰境) shrine. He is worshipped there under the title General Who Divides the Waters of the Eastern Sea (东海分水将军).
Film and television Chinese television Year English title Chinese title Actor Notes 1990 The Investiture of the Gods Lei Changxi 1999 The Legend of Ne Zha Chen Tianwen 2001 Gods of Honour Joseph Lee Kwok Lun 2006 The Legend and the Hero Miao Haizhong 2009 The Legend and the Hero 2 2014 The Investiture of the Gods Zhang Mingming 2015 The Investiture of the Gods II 2019 Investiture Of the Gods 封神演義 Hai Yitian
Chinese film Year English title Chinese title Actor Notes 2016 League of Gods Louis Koo 2019 Nezha Yang Wei Voice 2020 Jiang Ziya Tutehameng Voice 2022 New Gods: Yang Jian Yi Zhao Voice 2022 Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms Xia Yu 2025Ne Zha 2哪吒之魔童闹海Yang WeiVoice
Japanese television Title Japanese Title Actor Notes Hoshin Engi Jun'ichi Kanemaru Hoshin Engi Haruhiko Jō Hoshin Engi Akira Ishida Hoshin Engi Kenyu Horiuchi
References