Chinese mythology myths and legends

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The Mythical Phoenix (Fenghuang) Perching in the Parasol Tree to Signal Universal Peace

🐉 Chinese MythologyMount Qishan, Shaanxi, ChinaFenghuang • King Wen of Zhou • King Wu of Zhou

The Fenghuang is an auspicious bird that appears only during times of great peace and prosperity. Legend says it perched on Mount Qishan to herald the rise of the virtuous Zhou Dynasty. It resides exclusively in the Wutong tree and symbolizes the harmony of the universe.

The Qilin's Prophecy to the Mother of Confucius

🐉 Chinese MythologyQufu, Shandong, ChinaConfucius • Yan Zhengzai • Kong Shuliang He

Long before the great philosopher Confucius was born, his mother Yan Zhengzai experienced a miraculous visitation by a Qilin on the slopes of Mount Ni. The mythical beast, representing supreme virtue and benevolence, knelt before her and spat out a jade tablet prophesying that her son would be a 'throneless king.' This divine encounter marked the beginning of a life that would eventually...

Boya Smashing His Guqin

🐉 Chinese MythologyGuqin Tai (Lute Platform), Hanyang District, WuhanYu Boya • Zhong Ziqi

In the Spring and Autumn period, a master guqin player named Yu Boya found his only true musical soulmate in a humble woodcutter named Zhong Ziqi. When Ziqi died, Boya was so overcome with grief that he smashed his instrument and cut its strings, vowing never to play again as the only person who understood his music was gone. This legend is the origin of the term 'Zhiyin,' meaning a soulmate...

Su Daji Dancing Under the Full Moon While Revealing Her Nine Fox Tails

🐉 Chinese MythologyZhaoge, Henan, ChinaSu Daji • Di Xin (King Zhou of Shang) • Nuwa

Su Daji, the infamous consort of King Zhou of Shang, reveals her true nature as a thousand-year-old nine-tailed fox during a hypnotic midnight dance. Under the glow of a full moon at the opulent Lutai terrace, her human facade ripples to show the supernatural entity sent by the goddess Nuwa to bring about the fall of a corrupt dynasty. This pivotal moment symbolizes the intersection of...

The Divine Bird Sun-Crow Carrying the Golden Sun Across the Sky Each Day

🐉 Chinese MythologyEast China Sea, ChinaXihe • Dijun • Hou Yi

In ancient Chinese cosmology, the sun is personified as a divine three-legged crow known as the Jinwu or Yangwu. These celestial birds reside in the mythical Fusang tree in the East Sea, from which they take turns flying across the firmament to provide light and warmth to the world. This cycle represents the eternal balance of the cosmos, though it is most famous for the legend where ten...