Land gods, also known as "Lord of the Land," "Land Master," and "Old Man of the Land," are one of the most widely worshipped deities in folk beliefs. They are popular among Han Chinese areas and some ethnic minorities influenced by Han culture. Land gods belong to the local protective deities in folk beliefs. During the Republic of China (before 1949), wherever there were Han Chinese settlements, there was a practice of worshipping land gods. In traditional Chinese culture, worshipping land gods is equivalent to worshipping the earth. Nowadays, it is mostly for the purpose of blessing, ensuring safety, and guaranteeing a good harvest. Land gods are also lower-ranking deities among the Taoist pantheon.

Land gods originated from the ancient "She God," who was the deity managing a small piece of land. The commentary on "Gongyang Zhuan" states: "She refers to the master of the land." In the Han Dynasty, Ying Zhao's "Fengsu Tongshi · Sidian" quotes the "Xiao Wei Jing": "She refers to the master of the land. Since the land is vast and cannot be revered individually, we enshrine a mound of earth as She and worship it, to repay its merits." In the Qing Dynasty, Zhai Hao's "Tongxi Bian · Shenguai" says: "Now, all She gods are called land gods."

According to "The Book of Rites · Jifa," it is recorded: "The king established a She for the people, called Da She; feudal lords established a She for the people, called Guo She; feudal lords themselves established a She, called Hou She; and officials below the rank of ministers established a She, called Xu She." It can be seen that there was already a hierarchy in the worship of land gods at that time. During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the "Houtu Huangdizhi" was regarded as the highest god overseeing the land, while local areas still worshipped their own land gods.

The earliest person referred to as "Land Old Man" was Jiang Ziwen of the Han Dynasty. According to "The Record of Searching for Spirits," Volume 5: "Jiang Ziwen was a person from Guangling. ... In the late Han period, he served as the magistrate of Shuling. He pursued bandits to the foot of Zhongshan Mountain, where he was injured on the forehead. He then untied his bindings, and shortly afterwards died. When the early days of the Wu Emperor began, his former assistant saw him on the road, riding a white horse and holding a white feather, with attendants as before. Those who saw him ran away in fear. Jiang chased after them and said, 'I shall become the land god here to bless the people below. You may inform the people and build a temple for me. Otherwise, there will be great misfortune.' ... Thus, the emperor sent an envoy to bestow upon Jiang the title of Zhongdu Marquis, ... and built a temple, changing the name of Zhongshan to Jiangshan." After this, land gods gradually became the deities assigned to those who had done good deeds in their respective regions, and each place had its own land god.

According to Zhao Yi's "Gaitu Congkao," Volume 35, Shen Yue was the land god of the old Jing Temple in Wuzhen, Huzhou, and Yue Fei was the land god of Taoyue in Lin'an. Zhao Yi, in "Ming County Annals," states that there are various names for land gods, including Garden Land God, Green Seedling Land God, Longevity Land God (worshipped in family halls), and Temple Land God.

The widespread worship of land gods began during the Ming Dynasty. There were particularly many land temples during the Ming Dynasty, which was related to Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang. According to "Langya Mancao," it is recorded that Zhu Yuanzhang "was born in the land temple of Lingji Xiang, Xuyi County." Therefore, even a small land temple was greatly respected during the Ming Dynasty. For example, "Jinling Suoshi" mentions that in the second year of Jianwen (1400 AD), when the imperial order was given to build the Iron Pagoda in Nanjing, a special "Land Hall" was set up inside the pagoda to worship the Land God. Also, "Shuidong Riji" states that at that time, not only did villages and streets have land temples, but even "warehouses and grass fields had land shrines." The image of the land god is usually dressed simply, approachable, kind, and often appears as an old man with completely white hair.