Tradition: Chinese Mythology
Alternative Names: 并封, 並封, Pingfeng, Pingpeng (屏逢, 屏蓬)
Category: Pig
The Myth
Bingfeng is a strange creature from Chinese mythology described in the Classic of Mountains and Seas (Shanhaijing). According to the Classic of the Regions Beyond the West, it lives east of the Land of Wuxian. It resembles a pig but has two heads, one at the front and one at the back, and its body is black.
The creature is also associated with Pingfeng, another unusual beast mentioned in the Great Wilderness of the West section of the Shanhaijing. The scholar Yuan suggested that Bingfeng and Pingfeng originally shared a name meaning “joined” or “combined,” referring to creatures whose bodies or heads are joined together. This interpretation connects Bingfeng with other mythological animals possessing two heads, including two-headed snakes and birds, which were understood as strange, transformed beings.
One commentary on the Shanhaijing, attributed to Guo Pu, interprets Bingfeng as a totemic image made from the dried remains of two pigs with their heads joined together. A two-headed pig also appeared in the illustrated publication Dianshizhai Pictorial during the Qing dynasty. The creature was later included in Shigeru Mizuki’s Illustrated Book of Chinese Yokai, preserving its place among the unusual beasts of Chinese mythology.
Sources
“Bingfeng” (并封). Chinese Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 27, 2026. https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%B9%B6%E5%B0%81?utm_source=chatgpt.com