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In Chinese #mythology, the “Shen” (蜃) is a sea creature like a giant clam that breathes out illusions—creating mirages over water. Ancient texts even claim a pheasant that enters the sea can become a shen: “雉入大水為蜃” (A pheasant enters the great water and becomes a shen). 🎨《海錯圖》清・聶璜

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In Chinese #mythology, the Land of Plenty—Womin Guo (沃民國)—is a utopia where people live in abundance. They dine on phoenix eggs, each bursting with different flavors, and drink nectar sweeter than honey. No hunger, no war—just harmony between nature and spirit. 🎨 阿元阿元

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In Daoist ritual, the “Three Officials Handwritten Documents” (三官手書) are written to seek healing and forgiveness. A Daoist helps the ill write their name and repentance three times: one paper is offered on a mountain to the Heavenly Official for blessings, one buried for the Earthly Official’s 1/2

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Mulberry Fall Wine (桑落酒), famed since the Northern Wei, was brewed by Liu Baiduo from fallen mulberry leaves. Sweet and heady, a single cup could leave one dazed for a month. Officials loved gifting it—nicknaming it “Crane Cup” or “Riding Donkey Wine.” Once, during the Yongxi era, bandits 1/2

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In Chinese #folklore, Qin Shi Huang’s Xianyang palace held a mysterious bronze ensemble—twelve lifelike figures seated around a lavish table, each playing ancient instruments like the qin, se, yu, and zhu. Beneath them ran hidden pipes and a thick rope. When one person blew air into the pipe 1/2

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In Daoist belief, the Tiger Lord (虎爺) is more than a beast—he’s a protector. Once the mount of gods like the Mountain and City Deities, this sacred tiger was said to serve under the Earth God's command. Unlike wild tigers, he didn’t harm people or livestock, but drove off evil. Villagers 1/2

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In Chinese #folklore, wild foxes are said to create fire by swishing their tails at night. When ready to become spirits, they place a skull on their head and worship the Big Dipper. If the skull stays in place, they can take human form—at least for a while.

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In rainy Sichuan, there's a saying: “Shu dogs bark at the sun” (蜀犬吠日). Legend has it the dogs there see the sun so rarely, they bark in shock when it appears. This idiom reminds us how limited our understanding can be if shaped by narrow experience—what seems normal to one may 1/2

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In 1309, Yuan painter Zhao Mengfu painted "Autumn Colors by the Magpie Terrace (鵲華秋色圖)" as a gift for a friend, capturing the serene landscape of his ancestral home. With gentle strokes, he placed the sharp peak of Mount Hua Buzhu beside the softer curves of Mount Que, 1/2 #painting

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In Chinese #mythology, the people of the Kingdom of Drooping Ears (聶耳國) had ears so long they hung to their chests. By day, they held them up with their hands as they walked. At night, one ear became a blanket, the other a mat. Their bodies were ordinary—but their ears shaped how they moved, 1/2

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In Chinese #folklore, Wu Zetian—the only female emperor—once adored palace cats. But after executing Consort Xiao and Empress Wang in a brutal act of revenge, she was cursed: “May I be reborn a cat, and you a mouse, so I may strangle your throat forever.” Terrified their spirits would 1/2

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According to the Ming text "Yu Xie (玉屑)", cats were said to have arrived in China with Tang Sanzang on his journey to the Western Kingdom of Tianzhu. Brought to guard Buddhist scriptures from mice, they weren’t native to China and were thought to dislike the climate—cold-nosed year-round, 1/2

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In ancient China, summer heat was eased not just with fans, but with fragrance. People burned incense to refresh the spirit—Dong Ruyu of the late Ming even steamed pine needles for their cooling scent. In the Tang Dynasty, Breeze Rice (清風飯) was flavored with Longnao Xiang, a rare perfume. 1/2

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In the "Ji Shen Lu", there’s a tale from the Tang Dynasty when Wang Jian ruled Shu. One summer, during heavy rain, Minister Tang Daoxi saw his pet cat playing under the eaves. As thunder rumbled, the cat’s body stretched—longer than the roof—until lightning struck, and it transformed into 1/2

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In Chinese #folklore, the white ape (白猿) is a mystical creature linked to longevity and transformation. Legends say monkeys live 800 years before becoming apes, apes live 500 more to become gibbons, and gibbons after 1,000 years become human. One tale tells of a white ape who 1/2

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In Chinese #folklore, even picking up a fallen leaf can awaken the unexpected. During the Yuanhe era, scholar Shi rested by a stream on Mount Hua and pocketed a red leaf. It grew heavy—scales appeared. Alarmed, he tossed it away, suspecting it was a dragon in disguise. Moments later, white 1/2

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In traditional Chinese weddings, the bridal sedan chair—often bright red and ornate—arrives from the groom’s family to escort the bride. This ritual, dating back to the Song Dynasty, follows the belief of “catching the auspicious hour.” If multiple weddings happen that day, the first 1/2

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Lychees, a beloved summer fruit in China, were once so prized that the Tang court raced them over 2,100 km to Chang’an—just to make Yang Guifei smile. Born in Sichuan, she adored lychees from Guangdong and Guangxi. Couriers rode day and night to deliver them fresh, a journey of over 10 days. 1/2

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In ancient myth, Jingwei was the youngest daughter of the Yan Emperor, Nuwa. After drowning in the Eastern Sea, her spirit became a bird with a flowered crown, white beak, and red claws. Every day, she carries stones and twigs from the mountains to drop into the sea—determined to fill it, 1/2

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In the "Shanhaijing", the nation of Wuxian (巫咸國) is home to ten shamans who climb Mount Dengbao, red snake in one hand, green snake in the other, to send prayers to the Heavenly Emperor and return with his answers. Their ancestor, Wuxian, served Emperor Yao as a healer, diviner, and sage. 1/2

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Daoji (1130–1209), better known as Ji Gong, was a Chan monk from the Southern Song who broke every rule—drinking wine, eating meat, and helping the poor with wild, unpredictable ways. People called him the “mad monk,” but to many, he was a living bodhisattva. After his death, he became a folk deity.

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In the "Shanhaijing", the distant land of Wuqi is a surreal vision of immortality. Its cave-dwelling people have no gender, no offspring, and live on air, fish, and earth. When they die, only the body fades—the soul endures, returning to human life after a hundred years. 🎨 莲羊

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In later legends shaped by Han-era reverence, Confucius was more than a teacher—he was born under signs of the divine. In the Ming painting "Kongzi Shengji Tu" (孔子聖跡圖), immortals descend on swirling clouds, playing celestial music to welcome his birth. 🎨《孔子聖跡圖》明 #mythology

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Since the Tang Dynasty (618–907), palace women often found comfort in small, clever dogs—companions in a life of isolation. In Wang Ya’s poem “Palace Words“, one dog named "White Snow" runs with fur like drifting clouds, sleeps undisturbed on a red carpet, and barks at fireflies through 1/2

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In Chinese #folklore, the legendary "bone-gazing mirror" (照骨镜) was said to reveal a person’s bones, veins—even their hidden illnesses. Stories claim Qin Shi Huang once possessed it, using it not for healing, but for control. He would hold it to his concubines’ chests, and if he saw 1/2

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"Journey to the West", written by Wu Cheng’en in the Ming Dynasty, follows the monk Tang Sanzang and his unlikely companions—Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, Sha Wujing, and a dragon-turned-horse—on a perilous quest for Buddhist scriptures. Inspired by Xuanzang’s real pilgrimage, the tale blends myth 1/2

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In Chinese and Japanese #folklore, the monkfish (海和尚) is a red sea creature with a human face and a turtle’s body, said to appear before storms or shipwrecks. Sailors feared it as a bad omen—but Qing Dynasty writer Yuan Mei had a different view. He wrote that its meat, once preserved, 1/2

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In ancient China, people believed fireflies were born from rotting grass and bamboo roots—giving rise to the saying “decayed grass turns into fireflies (腐草为萤).” Glowing briefly for just over 20 nights, they lit up summer evenings before fading into the autumn grass. To many, 1/2 #folklore

submitted 13 days ago • 2 comments