Chinese Mythology

Lu Shu

by

Tradition / Region: Chinese Mythology
Alternative names: Lushu
Category: Horse

The Myth

Lu Shu is a mythical beast described in the Classic of Mountains and Seas. It dwells on Mount Niuyang and resembles a horse, but has a white head, tiger-like stripes across its body, and a red tail. Its cry is said to sound like a song or ballad.

The creature is also described in the Taiping Yulan, which states that it travels in groups, raising its head and calling loudly as it leaps across the land.

According to the Classic of Mountains and Seas, wearing the hide of a Lu Shu brings good fortune to one’s descendants. The Taiping Yulan similarly states that wearing its fur ensures that one’s offspring will become as numerous as clouds.

Later tradition records that during the Chongzhen reign of the Ming dynasty, people in the Minnan region claimed to have seen the Lu Shu.

Sources

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). 鹿蜀. In 维基百科，自由的百科全书. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%B9%BF%E8%9C%80

Qianlima

by

Tradition / Region: Chinese Mythology, Korean Mythology
Alternative names: Chollima (Korean), Cheollima (Korean), Senrima (Japanese), Thousand-li Horse
Category: Horse

The Myth

The Qianlima is a mythical winged horse in Chinese tradition renowned for its extraordinary speed and grace. It is said to be capable of traveling one thousand li in a single day, a distance of roughly four hundred kilometers, and is considered so swift and elegant that no mortal can ride it.

Beginning around the 3rd century BCE, the Qianlima became a powerful symbol in Chinese literature. It represented individuals of exceptional talent whose abilities had not yet been recognized. The legendary horse judge Bole was celebrated for his ability to identify a true Qianlima, making the horse a metaphor for gifted people discovered by a wise ruler.

The Qianlima also came to symbolize remarkable horses, including the famous Red Hare, whose speed and endurance embodied the qualities associated with the legendary steed.

Beyond China, the mythical horse became known throughout East Asia. In Korea it is called Chollima or Cheollima, where it became an important national symbol of North Korea and gave its name to the Chollima Movement.

Sources

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Qianlima. In Wikipedia. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qianlima

Cán Nǚ

by

Tradition / Region: Chinese Mythology
Alternative names: Silkworm Goddess, Silkworm Horse Goddess
Category: Horse, Deity

The Myth

Cán Nǚ, the Silkworm Goddess, is a Chinese goddess associated with silkworms and the origin of silk. She is commonly depicted as a beautiful young woman riding a white horse and is especially revered in the legends of southern China.

According to the legend, during the reign of Emperor Ku, a young woman’s father left on a distant expedition. Longing for his safe return, she jokingly promised the family’s white stallion that she would marry it if it could bring her father home. The horse immediately broke free and galloped away. Several days later, it returned with her father, having fulfilled the impossible task.

When the father learned of his daughter’s promise, he feared the consequences. He killed the faithful horse, skinned it, and hung its hide in the courtyard. Later, while playing nearby, the girl mocked the horse’s hide for having wished to marry a human. Suddenly, the hide came to life, wrapped itself around her, and carried her away.

After several days, the girl’s family discovered her in a mulberry tree. The horse’s hide still enclosed her body, her head had taken on the appearance of a horse, and she was spinning fine silk from the branches. From that time onward, the strange insect became known as the silkworm, and the tree was called the mulberry.

Some time later, the girl’s parents saw her descend from the heavens on a cloud, attended by heavenly guards and riding a magnificent horse. She explained that because of her filial devotion and unwavering loyalty, the Heavenly Emperor had made her an immortal and granted her a place among the celestial beings. Assuring them that she now lived happily in Heaven, she departed once more.

In gratitude for the gift of silk, later generations worshipped her as the Silkworm Goddess. Temples dedicated to her were established in regions such as Sichuan and Jiangnan, where she was often portrayed as a beautiful maiden riding a white horse or as the Horse-Headed Goddess.

Sources

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). 蚕女. In 维基百科，自由的百科全书. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%9A%95%E5%A5%B3

Bái Lóngmǎ

by

Tradition / Region: Chinese Mythology
Alternative names: White Dragon Horse, Jade Dragon, Yì Mǎ (Will Horse)
Category: Horse, Dragon

The Myth

The White Dragon Horse was originally the third son of Ao Run, the Dragon King of the Western Sea. After accidentally burning a sacred pearl bestowed by the Jade Emperor, he was sentenced to death. Guanyin Bodhisattva intervened, sparing his life and instructing him to wait at Eagle Sorrow Gorge for the monk Tang Sanzang, whose pilgrimage to India would become his path to redemption.

Before recognizing the monk, the dragon emerged from the river and devoured Tang Sanzang’s white horse. Guanyin then revealed his true purpose and ordered him to transform into a white horse to replace the one he had eaten. After shedding his dragon horns and scales, he became Tang Sanzang’s faithful mount, carrying the monk throughout the long journey to obtain the Buddhist scriptures.

Unlike Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing, the White Dragon Horse rarely fought. He quietly endured the hardships of the journey, serving with unwavering loyalty while transporting his master across mountains, rivers, and deserts.

His greatest act of heroism came when Tang Sanzang was captured by the Yellow-Robed Demon after Sun Wukong had been dismissed from the pilgrimage. Realizing that the entire quest would fail if he remained passive, the White Dragon Horse cast off his saddle, transformed back into his dragon form, and infiltrated the demon’s palace disguised as a palace maid. Although he was defeated and wounded in battle, he escaped and urged Zhu Bajie to seek out Sun Wukong and beg him to return, leading to Tang Sanzang’s rescue.

After the successful completion of the pilgrimage and the return with the sacred scriptures, the Buddha rewarded the White Dragon Horse for his faithful service by elevating him to the rank of Guangli Bodhisattva of the Eight Heavenly Dragons. He then regained his true dragon form in the Dragon Transformation Pool and took his place among the celestial dragon guardians of the Buddhist paradise.

Sources

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). 白龙马. In 维基百科，自由的百科全书. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%99%BD%E9%BE%99%E9%A9%AC

Jiliang

by

Tradition / Region: Chinese Mythology
Alternative name: Jiliang, Jiliang Horse, Jisi’s Chariot
Category: Horse

The Myth

Jiliang is a divine horse described in the Classic of Mountains and Seas. It has a white or spotted white body, a red mane, golden eyes, and a long neck ending in feathers that resemble a rooster’s tail.

The horse is said to live in the Kingdom of Quanfeng. It is regarded as a supernatural steed whose greatest power is the gift of longevity. Anyone who rides Jiliang is granted a lifespan of one thousand years, making it one of the most auspicious mythical horses in Chinese mythology.

Sources

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). 吉量. In 维基百科，自由的百科全书. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%90%89%E9%87%8F

Spider Demons

by

Tradition / Region: Chinese Mythology
Alternative names: Seven Spider Demons, Spider Maidens, Pansi Cave Demons
Category: Spider

The Myth

The Spider Demons are seven powerful spider spirits from Journey to the West. Their true forms are enormous spiders said to be as large as buckets, but they usually appear as extraordinarily beautiful young women to deceive travelers.

The seven sisters lived in Pansi Cave beneath Pansi Ridge. Their greatest weapon was the silk they produced from their navels. The strands were incredibly thick and strong, allowing them to instantly weave vast webs capable of trapping even powerful supernatural beings.

During Tang Sanzang’s pilgrimage, the monk stopped nearby to beg for food and encountered the seven beautiful women. They invited him inside, but the meal they prepared was made from human flesh. Realizing they were demons, Tang Sanzang tried to flee, but the sisters bound him with ropes and planned to steam and eat him after finishing their bath in the nearby Cleansing Spring.

Sun Wukong discovered their plot after questioning the local earth god. Finding the demons bathing, he transformed into an eagle and stole their clothing to delay them while rescuing Tang Sanzang. Zhu Bajie later attempted to kill the bathing demons, but they escaped by shooting silk from their navels and trapping him inside enormous webs.

The seven sisters fled to the Hundred-Eyed Demon Lord, their senior brother, who sheltered them at the Yellow Flower Temple. Together they fought Sun Wukong, again covering the battlefield with vast sheets of spider silk. Wukong eventually learned that they were spider spirits and armed his monkey followers with double-pronged forks to cut through the webs. Once the silk was destroyed, the Spider Demons were forced to reveal their true forms as gigantic spiders. Sun Wukong killed all seven before defeating the Hundred-Eyed Demon Lord.

Although famed for their beauty, the Spider Demons were not powerful martial fighters. Their greatest strengths were shapeshifting, deception, and their supernatural spider silk, which could instantly entangle enemies and cover entire buildings in enormous webs.

Sources

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). 蜘蛛精. In 維基百科，自由的百科全書. Retrieved June 28, 2026, from https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%9C%98%E8%9B%9B%E7%B2%BE

Bai Ze

by

Tradition / Region: Chinese Mythology
Alternative names: Hakutaku (Japanese), Bai Ze (Chinese)
Category: Sheep

The Myth

Bai Ze (Hakutaku) is one of the most revered divine beasts in Chinese mythology. Unlike most legendary creatures, Bai Ze is not feared as a monster but honored as a symbol of wisdom, protection, and supernatural knowledge. It is said to appear only during the reign of a wise and virtuous ruler, making its appearance an omen of peace and good governance.

According to legend, the Yellow Emperor (Huangdi) encountered Bai Ze while traveling through the eastern mountains. The creature spoke in human language and revealed that it possessed complete knowledge of the supernatural world. Bai Ze explained that the universe contained 11,520 different kinds of spirits, demons, monsters, ghosts, and magical beings, each born from condensed spiritual energy or wandering souls.

The emperor ordered scribes to record everything Bai Ze taught him, creating the famous Bai Ze Tu (Illustrated Guide of Bai Ze). Although the original work has been lost, ancient Chinese texts frequently mention it as an encyclopedia of supernatural creatures and methods for identifying and dealing with them. Stories even tell of scholars successfully recognizing dangerous spirits because they had consulted the Bai Ze Tu.

In Chinese tradition, Bai Ze is usually depicted as a lion-like or guardian-beast resembling an imperial protector. In Japan, however, its appearance evolved into something much stranger: a white beast with a human face, horns, and nine eyes—three on its face and three on each side of its body. This distinctive form became popular during the Edo period and was sometimes confused with the baku, another supernatural beast associated with dreams.

Because Bai Ze was believed to possess perfect knowledge of evil spirits and diseases, images of the creature became powerful protective talismans. During epidemics and outbreaks of illness, people displayed paintings and statues of Hakutaku to ward off disease, repel malevolent spirits, and invite good fortune. As a result, Bai Ze became not only a legendary creature but also one of East Asia’s most important symbols of divine protection and supernatural wisdom.

Sources

Bestiary.us. (n.d.). Giristis. In New Bestiary: Encyclopedia of Imaginary Beings. Retrieved June 28, 2026, from https://www.bestiary.us/giristis

Taotie

by

Tradition / Region: Chinese Mythology
Alternative names: Taotie (饕餮)
Category: Sheep

The Myth

The Taotie is one of the most infamous monsters of Chinese mythology, representing insatiable greed and gluttony. Its name itself reflects this nature: “Tao” means to covet wealth, while “Tie” means to crave food. It is a creature whose hunger can never be satisfied.

Ancient sources describe the Taotie in several different forms. The most common depiction gives it the body of a sheep with the face of a human, eyes beneath its armpits, tiger-like fangs, human-like claws, and the cry of a crying infant. Other traditions describe it as little more than a gigantic devouring head with no body at all, emphasizing its endless appetite.

The Taotie is counted among China’s legendary Four Evils, alongside Hundun, Qiongqi, and Taowu. According to the Zuo Zhuan, it originated from the wicked and greedy son of the Jinyun clan, whose insatiable desire for wealth and excess caused him to become the monstrous Taotie. Afterward, Emperor Shun banished it to the western lands, where it ironically became a guardian against other monsters.

Other ancient texts describe it as a savage creature covered in thick hair that hoards riches without ever using them. It steals from others, bullies the weak, attacks solitary travelers, yet fears large crowds. Its overwhelming greed defines every aspect of its existence.

During the Ming Dynasty, the Taotie also became associated with the Nine Sons of the Dragon, while scholars linked it with the fearsome beast described in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, strengthening its image as a man-eating monster.

One of the Taotie’s greatest legacies is artistic rather than literary. The fearsome animal faces decorating ancient Shang and Zhou bronze ritual vessels became known as Taotie masks. Although this name was applied centuries later and it remains uncertain whether the original craftsmen intended to depict the Taotie, the monstrous face became one of the most recognizable symbols of ancient Chinese art.

Throughout Chinese tradition, the Taotie serves as the ultimate embodiment of uncontrolled greed—a creature that endlessly consumes wealth, food, and even human beings, yet can never satisfy its eternal hunger.

Sources

TYZ. (n.d.). Taotie [饕餮]. In 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑. Retrieved June 27, 2026, from https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1018146956.html

Yang Wulang Ghost

by

Tradition / Region: Chinese Mythology
Alternative names: Yang Wulang (楊五郎鬼)
Category: Ghost

The Myth

The Yang Wulang Ghost is a terrifying ghost recorded in Volume 4 of the Yijian Zhi, a Song Dynasty collection of strange tales. Unlike most ghosts, it possesses a massive physical body rather than appearing as a transparent spirit.

The creature is described as standing nearly ten feet (about three meters) tall, with arms as thick as a man’s thighs. Although enormous and immensely powerful, it is surprisingly agile, capable of making swift leaps and moving with unnatural speed. Its entire body is covered in coarse black hair, and its grotesque face bears three protruding eyes.

According to the legend, villagers eventually managed to capture the monster. When they stabbed it with knives, no blood flowed despite cutting deeply into its body. Its abdomen was opened, revealing ordinary-looking intestines and internal organs, yet the creature remained an unnatural being rather than a living man.

To destroy it permanently, the villagers placed the ghost into boiling oil. As its flesh cooked, its body gradually dissolved into black liquid, which flowed away until nothing remained, finally ending the creature’s existence.

Later writers have suggested that the famous literary image of the powerful monk Lu Zhishen from Water Margin may have been partially inspired by the legendary monk Yang Wulang, from whom this monstrous ghost also takes its name.

Sources

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). 楊五郎. In 維基百科，自由的百科全書. Retrieved June 27, 2026, from https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%A5%8A%E4%BA%94%E9%83%8E

Shoe-Eating Ghost

by

Tradition / Region: Chinese Mythology
Alternative names: Shoe-Eating Yāoguài, Shoe-Eating Ghost (食鞋鬼)
Category: Ghost

The Myth

The Shoe-Eating Ghost is a strange black humanoid spirit with deep-set eyes, an enormous nose, a tiger-like mouth, and black claws. It often hides inside latrines or behind holes in their walls, where it quietly waits for unsuspecting visitors. Although frightening in appearance, it is capable of speaking with humans and is not always malicious.

According to Chinese legend, the creature has an unusual appetite—it devours shoes as though they were flesh. When someone enters a latrine alone, the ghost reaches out with its long arm and politely asks for a shoe. If refused, it simply snatches the footwear itself. It then tears into the shoe with its teeth, chewing it so violently that blood appears to flow from it, as though it were consuming living meat, until nothing remains.

The best-known account appears in both the Taiping Guangji and Gui Dong. A county clerk suffering from illness entered a privy without a servant because his jealous wife refused to let anyone accompany him. There he encountered the strange black creature, which calmly demanded one of his shoes before devouring it. When the clerk returned with his wife to witness the event, the ghost appeared again and consumed his remaining shoe.

In one version of the story, the ghost later returned the shoes completely unharmed and warned the clerk that his allotted lifespan would end in one hundred days. The prophecy proved true, and after returning home, he died exactly as foretold. In another version, the encounter itself filled the man with such overwhelming terror that he became gravely ill and eventually died.

Some traditions therefore portray the Shoe-Eating Ghost as a supernatural messenger rather than a purely malevolent being. Though infamous for devouring footwear, it may also repay kindness or reveal the fate awaiting those it encounters.

Thus the Shoe-Eating Ghost is remembered as one of China’s strangest yāoguài—a mysterious spirit lurking in lonely latrines, feasting upon shoes as though they were flesh while quietly foretelling the destinies of the living.

Sources

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). 食鞋妖怪. In 維基百科，自由的百科全書. Retrieved June 27, 2026, from https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%A3%9F%E9%9E%8B%E5%A6%96%E6%80%AA