Wong Tai Sin Sign 39 · The Righteous Brothers' Sacrifice

This story comes from ancient China, around 1100 BCE. Brothers Bo Yi and Shu Qi were princes of a small kingdom called Guzhu. When their father died, each brother refused the throne, insisting the other should rule instead. Eventually they fled together. Later, when King Wu of Zhou overthrew the corrupt Shang Dynasty, the brothers were horrified — not because they supported Shang, but because they believed overthrowing any ruler, even a tyrant, was morally wrong. They refused to eat grain from the new Zhou kingdom, considering it tainted. Instead, they retreated to Mount Shouyang and survived on wild ferns. They eventually starved to death, becoming symbols of unwavering moral principles. Chinese culture remembers them as examples of integrity taken to its ultimate extreme.