This article is about the god in Chinese culture. For the general concept, see
Kitchen god.
The kitchen deity – also known as the Stove God, named Zao Jun, Zao Shen, Zao kimjah, Cokimjah or Zhang Lang – is the most important of a plethora of Chinese domestic gods that protect the hearth and family. The Kitchen God is recognized in Chinese folk religion, Chinese mythology, and Taoism. He is also celebrated throughout the Sinosphere.
It is believed that on the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunisolar month, just before Chinese New Year, the Kitchen deity returns to Heaven to report the activities of every household over the past year to Yu Huang Da Di (Chinese: 玉皇大帝; pinyin: Yùhuángdàdì), the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor, emperor of the heavens, either rewards or punishes a family based on Zao Jun's yearly report.