According to tradition, Fu-xing was a 6th century government official by the name of Yang Cheng from the village of Dao-zhou. All the people from this village were of extremely short stature. Every year, the emperor would summon a large number of people to his court, because he loved to surround himself by dwarfs. The population of this village reduced greatly over the years. Yang Cheng addressed a petition to the emperor asking him to show consideration for the people of his home town. The emperor was so moved by this petition that he never again summoned them to his court.
There are other historical personalities to whom the functions of Fu-xing are ascribed. One is the 8th-century general Gou Zi-yi who saved the Tang Dynasty from destruction after an uprising. When the Heavenly Weaver appeared to him, he asked her to grant him fame and fortune. She replied that he himself was the god of wealth.
