Xiongdi Gong

Xiongdi Gong (Hanzi=兄弟公; pinyin=xiōngdì gōng; Hokkien=Ya Ti Kong) or 108 Saints (Hainan 108 Brothers) are the protector deities of seafarers.

They are usually worshiped along with Shui Wei Sheng Niang at Chinese temples near the sea by fishermen or seafarers.

In the time of Xianfeng Emperor (1831–1861), many people from Hainan went to Annam (now Vietnam) to earn money for their families.

Other Hainan peoples who were left in Annam entrusted their savings or valuables to those 109 men to take back to their families.

On their way back across the sea, pirates captured their ships, took their belongings, and killed all but one man, the cook, who managed to survive by hiding under the deck.