TU-DI

[Chinese] A Chinese patron god of a certain small area. Each public building, street and district has its own Tu-di who keeps a record in which he writes the lives and deaths of the inhabitants 1. Sometimes these functions are delegated to famous historical personalities. A Tu-di is subordinate to a city god (Cheng-huang), but their responsibilities are the same. Rich harvests depend on the good will of the Tu-di.