Nezha, son of General Li Jing, stands out in Chinese #mythology for his fiery defiance. When he slew Ao Bing, son of the East Sea Dragon King, the clash threatened heaven and earth. To protect his family, Nezha chose self-sacrifice, only to be 1/2 #folklore

Guanpu (關撲) was a lively form of traditional gambling where everyday goods became wagers. Players hurled their possessions into the game, with rules shifting across regions. Some versions echoed today’s spinning wheel lotteries.

Dianmu, the Lightning Lady of Chinese #mythology and Daoist lore, wields lightning as the consort of the Thunder God. She casts brilliant flashes across the heavens, while his roar follows. Folktales say their quarrels ignite storms.

The #painting captures Liu Bei’s legendary “Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage” (三顾茅庐), where he humbled himself to seek Zhuge Liang’s wisdom. Beside him, Zhang Fei stands vigilant, embodying the might that balanced Liu Bei’s humility. Ming-era artists often favored this theme, 1/2 #art

The Butterfly Lovers is no mere romance; it's a defiance of fate, gender roles, and societal chains. Zhu Yingtai disguised herself as a man to pursue knowledge, only to find love in Liang Shanbo. Bound by shared ideals yet torn by arranged marriage and rigid norms, their love was doomed in life.1/2

Lady Meng Jiang wept so fiercely at the Great Wall that it crumbled, stone by stone, revealing her husband’s buried body. In Chinese #folklore, she’s not just a grieving widow, but a voice for the countless lives lost to imperial ambition. Her tears tore through silence, 1/2

Emperor Huizong of the Song (1082–1135) may have faltered as a ruler, but his artistry was unmatched. In his paintings, cats often stalk butterflies, a scene both tender and symbolic. The word for cat (māo) echoes mào (耄), meaning old age, while butterfly (dié) sounds like dié (耋), 1/2

When a giraffe arrived at the Ming(1368–1644) court after Zheng He’s first voyage, Emperor Zhu Di saw not an exotic beast but the long-dreamed Qilin, a herald of peace and prosperity in Chinese mythology. The reticulated Somali giraffe, with its towering neck and patterned hide, 1/2

In Chinese #mythology, Guanghan Palace (廣寒宮) graces the moon like a dream carved in silver. At its heart stands an osmanthus tree over 500 feet tall, fragrant, eternal, and endlessly resilient. Here lives Chang’e, the moon goddess who fled to the heavens; Yutu, the jade rabbit pounding 1/2

In Chinese #mythology, Huang Zu (黃祖) is a divine tree spirit and guardian goddess, dwelling in a towering tree where thousands of birds nest. With a flick of her wrist, she can summon rain, nourishing the land and those who honor her. Huang Zu watches over the pure of heart, 1/2

In Chinese #mythology, the Sea House (海屋) stores time itself. Its “chips” marking the shifting world. Inside, years pass like moments; outside, moments stretch into years. From this legend comes the phrase 海屋添籌, “adding chips to the Sea House”, born from a tale of an elder so ancient 1/2

The idiom 天馬行空, “sky horse flying through the heavens”, soars from the myth of the celestial horse, a creature of divine speed and untamed grace. In Chinese culture, this sky horse embodies brilliance unchained, surpassing earthly limits. The phrase evokes boundless imagination, 1/2

Kuilong, a one-footed dragon-like creature, dances through early Chinese mythology and art with quiet power. Unlike typical dragons, its lone foot marks it as otherworldly, a symbol of imbalance made sacred. This unique form appears in ancient decorative motifs, especially on 1/2

🎨 Twelve Shapes of Water by Ma Yuan of the Southern Song Dynasty captures water not as a single form, but as a living rhythm. Across twelve scenes tied to shifting seasons and distant regions, Ma Yuan paints ripples, currents, and stillness with brushwork as 1/2 #art #painting

Among ancient Chinese literati, admiring plum blossoms was more than pastime. It was poetry in practice. In Tang Dynasty #folklore, a tale from the Sui era captures this reverence. Zhao Shixiong, visiting Fuluo Mountain, dreamt of drinking wine with a graceful woman 1/2 #folklore #painting

Kang Nang (傒囊) is a haunting presence in Chinese folklore, a mountain-dwelling creature that looks like a child. When spotted, it silently extends its hand, inviting you closer. But beware: if you grasp its hand and lead it away from where it stands, it dies. 1/2 🎨 Shan Ze

Xing Tian (刑天) is defiance made flesh. In Shanhaijing, he challenges the Yellow Emperor and loses his head. But death doesn’t claim him. Headless, he rises again, eyes burning in his chest, a mouth roaring from his navel. With axe and shield, he continues the fight, 1/2 #mythology

The Illustrated Study of the Creatures in the Mao Edition of the Book of Songs (《毛詩品物圖考》), compiled by Okamoto Genpō with illustrations by Tachibana Kunio, is an 18th-century Japanese tribute to Chinese antiquity. Drawing from the Shijing, China’s earliest poetic canon, this 1/2 #painting

In the beginning, all was chaos: a boundless mist without form. From this void rose Pangu, the giant who held heaven and earth apart with his own strength. For 18,000 years he grew, lifting the sky and anchoring the land until they stood 90,000 miles apart. When his task ended, 1/2 🎨 Lu Mingshan

In the mountains of Qingqiu roams a fox, not ordinary, but crowned with nine tails. As told in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, each tail marks a rise in spiritual power, splitting one by one until the creature becomes immortal. The Nine-Tailed Fox can spit fire, dazzle the mind, and1/2 #mythology

In Chinese #folklore, a cat or dog that enters your home uninvited and is kept, ushers in fortune. A fat cat? Even better. The Yilin tells of Hu Hong, a famed diviner from Ningbo. When a wealthy family puzzled over their sudden luck, Hu Hong revealed the cause: “A cat came to you 1/2 #caturday

In the mythic seas beyond China lies the Ancestral Continent (祖洲), said to rest in the East China Sea. There, a reed-like plant grows, tall, unassuming, yet divine. Place it over the dead within three days, and they rise again; consume it, and you live forever. During Qin Shi Huang’s reign, 1/2

Imagine the Last Supper reimagined in a Ming Dynasty courtyard: Christ at the center, not in Jerusalem, but beneath carved wooden beams and fluttering lucky clouds. In this early 20th-century painting, Peter wears a flowing blue hanfu, seated on a three-legged stool beside lotus blooms rising 1/2

The Suanming Xiansheng (算命先生), or fortune-teller, is a master of ancient Chinese destiny arts, blending I Ching wisdom, astrology, feng shui, and palmistry. With a glance at your birth date or face lines, they chart the unseen forces shaping your life: luck, fate, obstacles, and potential. 1/2

On the moon’s quiet plains, the Jade Rabbit (玉兔) kneels beneath silver light, grinding immortality into being with a jade pestle. Its fur, pure as carved jade, glows in Chinese #mythology as a gentle yet potent symbol of devotion, healing, and eternity. In Daoist lore, it's paired with the sun’s1/2

The Dragon Kings of the Four Seas, East, South, West, and North, rule the waters and command wind and rain in Chinese #folklore. Born from ancient rainmaking rites, they became mighty deities in Daoist belief, each guarding their sea and answering the pleas of mortals. Dragons, fused from 1/2

May we be two birds flying wing to wing in the heavens; May we be two intertwined branches growing on earth. Though the heavens and earth may have an end, This sorrow will linger on, boundless and eternal. ~Bai Juyi (772-846) #poem #art 🎨 Dai Dunbang

The turtle (靈龜), ancient guardian of time, reigns as the wisest among the Four Spirits of Chinese mythology, alongside the Qilin, Phoenix, and Dragon. Its immense lifespan reflects not just longevity, but the weight of eternal wisdom. Some legends say a divine turtle bears Mount Penglai 1/2

Penglai (蓬萊山), the legendary isle adrift in the Bohai Sea, gleams in Chinese #mythology as a realm of immortals and endless wonder. Sought by emperors like Qin Shi Huang and Han Wudi, it promised eternal life through sacred herbs and hidden sages. On Penglai, gold and silver palaces shimmer 1/2

In Chinese folklore, the Hidden Spirit (藏神) is a boy in white robes who guards the unseen and the buried. Dwelling within a bottle, he reveals himself only to those who offer sincere devotion and ritual respect. Known as a keeper of concealed treasures, this elusive figure rewards reverence 1/2

Rising unstained from the mud, the lotus in Chinese culture embodies purity, virtue, and spiritual grace. Confucians likened it to the ideal gentleman. That is, noble, upright, untouched by corruption. In Buddhism and Daoism, its bloom symbolizes transcendence, a sacred bridge between the 1/2

Yugong, the Foolish Old Man, faced two vast mountains blocking his village. Rather than give up, he gathered his family and began digging, year after year, stone by stone. When mocked by a so-called wise elder, Yugong replied: “Though I may die, my descendants will continue. 1/2 #folklore

In Chinese #folklore, the tale of Wu Song Fighting the Tiger (武松打虎) from Water Margin tells of courage made legend. On Jingyang Ridge, after downing eighteen bowls of wine despite warnings, Wu Song presses on and meets the dreaded man-eating tiger. 1/2 #folklore #WaterMargin

Yingzhou (瀛洲), adrift in the East Sea, is one of the fabled isles of immortals in Chinese mythology. Said to stretch 4,000 li, it glimmers with jade peaks, sacred herbs, and the Jade Elixir Spring, whose nectar sweet as wine, gifting long life with a taste. #mythology #art

Yaoji (瑤姬), the “Goddess of Mount Wu” (巫山神女), was the gifted third daughter of the Yan Emperor and sister of Jingwei. Known for her beauty and martial grace, she died young, her spirit reborn as the celestial Yao Grass. The heavens then appointed her guardian of 1/2 🎨 華三川 #mythology #goddess

Fusang (扶桑), the eastern isle of Chinese #mythology, stands as the gateway of dawn. At its heart rise two colossal mulberry trees entwined in support, the sacred Fusang tree. Each morning, the sun goddess Xihe arrives in her chariot, sending forth one of her ten Golden Crows, 1/2 #folklore

Magu (麻姑), goddess of longevity in Chinese #mythology, embodies the endurance of ages. Said to have witnessed the sea transform into mulberry fields three times, she is a living measure of eternity. Tales tell of her walking across waters in wooden clogs and working miracles, 1/2 #art

Fangzhang Mountain (方丈山), one of the three sacred isles of the East Sea, rises in Chinese mythology as a vast square realm, with each side 5,000 li wide. Its golden palaces and jade-fed springs shimmer among fields of immortal herbs, while dragons coil above in endless flight. 1/2 #art

Gaozhou Puppet Theater (高州木偶戲), or Kuixi (傀戲), traces its roots to Ming-era Fujian puppetry. Renowned for lifelike carvings and dazzling feats, puppets that blink, spit fire, even stage beheadings, it fuses song, drama, music, and story into a vivid folk spectacle. 🎨 虢子楷sheep #folkart

Yue Fei (岳飛, 1103–1142), the Southern Song’s famed general and patriot, stood unyielding against the Jin invaders. More than a warrior, he was also a poet and calligrapher, his words burning with the same spirit as his sword. His Man Jiang Hong (《滿江紅·寫懷》) 1/2 #history #poetry

Zhunou (朱獳), from the Classic of Mountains and Seas, is a fox-like beast with fins along its back, haunting the slopes of Tuo Mountain. Wherever it appears, dread spreads like wildfire, its very presence enough to unnerve armies and unsettle hearts. 🎨 山澤 (Shan Ze) #mythology

The Dragon Maiden (龍女), daughter of the Dragon King, drifts through Chinese #mythology as both guardian and guide. She tends not earthly flocks but mystical sheep, which are water spirits shimmering under her father’s dominion. 🎨 鄭家聲

The Porcelain Tower of Nanjing (南京大報恩寺琉璃塔), built in the Ming dynasty, once dazzled the world as a “wonder of the Middle Ages.” Clad in glazed tiles that shimmered in sunlight and lantern light alike, it rose as both devotion and spectacle. Its fame even reached Andersen, 1/2 #art

Shaohao (少昊), son of the Yellow Emperor and one of the legendary Five Emperors, was said to be born as five phoenixes descended from the heavens. Leading one of China’s earliest tribes, he came to be revered as the God of the Hundred Birds, ruling a clan marked by harmony and music. #mythology

In the legend of Qin Shi Huang’s tomb, the First Emperor sought to bind eternity within stone. Beneath a ceiling of jeweled stars stretched rivers and seas of liquid mercury, mapping the world he had conquered. 1/2 #mythologyMonday #folklore

In Chinese #mythology, the phoenix (鳳凰, Fenghuang) reigns as the sovereign of all birds. “Feng” is the male, “Huang” the female, together embodying balance, prosperity, and harmony between yin and yang. 🎨 半日閑兔子

In Chinese folklore, the Headless Country (無頭國) lies in the icy reaches of Mongolia’s north. Its people, born without heads, bear their mouths, ears, and noses upon their chests. They know no hunger, for life is sustained by a single orb of ice 1/2 #folklore

In the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), cats graced the royal court not just as pets but as living poetry. Each was given an elegant name: a pure white cat became “A Piece of Jade,” a black cat with a white belly, “Black Clouds Covering Snow,” while a yellow-tailed white one was 1/2 #caturday #history

The Chinese Dragon (龍, #Loong) reigns as the foremost of scaled beings, a shape-shifter of boundless power. As Shuowen Jiezi records: It may vanish or appear, shrink or expand, soar or descend. With the spring equinox it ascends to heaven, 1/2 #mythology #art #painting

Sun Erniang (孫二娘), feared as “Mother Night Demon” (母夜叉), is one of the most striking figures in Water Margin. With her husband Zhang Qing, she ran a murderous inn where unwary travelers were drugged and turned into “human buns.” Yet fate twisted when 1/2 #WaterMargin