Bi Gan was a faithful civilian official and the uncle of the tyrannical and concupiscent Emperor Zhou of the Shang Dynasty, for whom he took charge of the Imperial finances. Legend has it that to prove his loyalty he took out his heart and presented it to the Emperor by throwing it on the floor. Having no heart Bi Gan was impartial in the distribution of the Emperor’s wealth amongst the people and so became a Chinese civilian wealth deity (fig.).