The Jade Emperor — Ruler of Heaven

Above all the gods, spirits, and immortals of the Chinese celestial bureaucracy sits the Jade Emperor — the supreme ruler of heaven who governs the divine world with the same administrative complexity that the Chinese emperor governs the earthly one. Even the gods have to submit reports to his celestial court. Every year, the Kitchen God travels to heaven to report on each family's behavior of the past year. The Jade Emperor reviews these reports and determines each person's fate for the coming year. The divine world in Chinese religion is a mirror of the human world — and both require good governance.

These signs carry the jade throne, the celestial court, the new year's seal, and the dragon robe of the heavenly emperor.