10 Fascinating Chinese Mythological Creatures

Chinese mythology is a vast and compelling topic with endless myths and stories. Some of the most interesting figures in these tales are the legendary creatures that populate them. Listed below are a few of the most famous and fascinating Chinese mythological creatures.

1. The Chinese Dragon

The Chinese dragon (pronounced as “lóng”) is a benevolent and powerful mythical creature symbolizing good fortune, strength, and imperial power. The roots of the Chinese dragon are inverse to the malevolent fire-breathing dragons of Western mythology. Chinese dragons have features from various animals, commonly described with fish-like, serpent-like or turtle-like features, usually with four legs. Though these beings are capable of flight, they aren’t depicted with wings. Often, Chinese dragons appear in stories controlling weather and water. They’re a famous feature of the Chinese Lunar New Year and are associated with good luck.

2. The Chinese Phoenix Fenghuang

One of China’s most famous creatures is the phoenix, a mythical bird symbolizing virtue, prosperity and harmony. While Western phoenixes are known for spontaneously combusting and being reborn from the ashes, Fenghuang doesn’t have a similar ability. Instead, Fenghuang’s body is a combination of various celestial bodies. Its head is the sky, its eyes are the sun, its back is the moon, its wings are the wind, its feet are the earth and its tail the planets. Sighting Fenghuang is considered a positive omen of the future, implying the rise of a virtuous emperor or a notable sage who provides greater morality to the populace.

3. The Qilin

The Qilin is a legendary chimerical creature which is always depicted with hooves. Its appearance heralds the arrival or death of a great sage or illustrious ruler. Famously, the Qilin has a single grand horn and is often shown with Chinese-dragon-like features and thick manes. Much of its body is partially scaled with a form similar to that of an ox, deer, horse or goat. The qilin is seen in a range of colors though many of its scales are described as bejeweled. It appears in the poem 麟之趾; Lín zhī zhǐ; ‘Feet of the Lin’ included in the Classic of Poetry (11th – 7th c. BCE).

4. The Pixiu

The Pixiu is a mythical hybrid creature known to protect the souls of the dead, often offering guidance to feng shui practitioners. In appearance, the Pixiu resembles a powerful, winged lion, often attracted to gold, silver and gemstones. There are two variants of the Pixiu. The one with two antlers is the female and is called a Bìxié (which wards off evil), and the one with one antler is the male and is called a Tiānlù (which roams the world for gold to bring back wealth to his master).

5. The Nian

The Nian is a powerful creature which dwells beneath seas or mountains, known to emerge during the New Year. It feasts on people and animals, raiding villages and destroying crops. In appearance, it looks like a flat-faced lion with the body of a dog and long horns. However, the Nian can be deterred with loud noises, fires and hues of red, which is why the Chinese New Year famously utilizes all three.

6. The Mo

In Chinese mythology, there are tales of a strange creature with a remarkably tough hide known as the 獏 (which is translated as the “mo,” “mé,” or “mih”). This creature was capable of biting through iron, copper and bamboo joints, often eating cooking utensils left out by careless travelers. In appearance, the Mo is described with the nose of an elephant, the eyes of a rhino, a tail like an ox and paws like a tiger. In some tales, it has a spot pattern on its fur.

7. The Hundun

Hundun has two meanings in Chinese mythos. The first is the state of primordial and central chaos in Chinese cosmogony which came before reality, comparable with the world egg that brought existence into being. However, Hundun also refers to a legendary, faceless being of great immensity with an unspecified form. The descriptions are varied and translate into English poorly, with phrases like “something confused and yet complete” often being leveraged to describe the entity.

8. The Xiangliu

The Xiangliu is a powerful nine-headed snake monster which spews venom and brought devastating floods across ancient Chinese mythology. Wherever Xiangliu traveled, his gluttonous nine heads would devour all. Wherever he rested, his toxic breath would turn the ground into a poisonous bog. In some of China’s most enduring and ancient legends, Xiangliu was slain by Yu the Great, who labored to end the Great Flood of China.

9. The Single-Horned Xiezhi

The Xiezhi is a mythical creature of China found across Sinosphere tales. Its body resembles a goat or ox with thick, dark fur covering its hide. It also possesses bright eyes, a single, long horn and immense intellect. The Xiezhi is capable of distinguishing right from wrong and is skilled at discovering corrupt officials, which it will ram with its horn before devouring them. The creature is known as an enduring symbol of justice.

10. The Bai Ze

The Bai Ze is a divine creature which possesses supernatural knowledge regarding all ghosts and gods in the world. A stalwart figure trusted by the Yellow Emperor, Bai Ze drew all the ghosts and spirits he knew into pictures, creating the Book of the White Marsh (The Bái Zé Tú). This vast bestiary contained over ten thousand spirit beings, only a fraction of which are known today. The Bai Ze is described as having green hair on a dragon-like head with a horn growing atop and the ability to fly. There are also accounts of having the horned head of a tiger with a red mane and Chinese dragon’s body. Bai Ze is sometimes known poetically as the Beast of the White Marsh.

Conclusion

China’s stories are filled with fantastic and compelling mythological creatures which can enhance a visiting ESL teacher’s appreciation of the country. Learning about the beings which populate China’s tales is an interesting and enlightening pastime.