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Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

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Chinese mythology

The Jade Emperor: Taoist Ruler of Heaven - and Celestial Bureaucrat

The Jade Emperor: Taoist Ruler of Heaven - and Celestial Bureaucrat

The Jade Emperor is not only a notable figure in Chinese mythology, but also one of the most important deities in Taoism and in Chinese folk religion. Today, the Jade Emperor is regarded as the...
A pair of wooden shiziguo type lions decorated with gilt and polychrome.  The female has a cub, symbolizing a happy family.  Chinese, early Ching Dynasty (Image: © Walther G. von Krenner)

Chinese Lion Kings: Winged Lions, Foo Dogs and Gaimei

The King of the Beasts triumphs in Chinese mythology, albeit in many shapes and forms. Chinese artists combined different creatures’ attributes to create a composite beast, which they called pixiu (...
Qilin (kongkiatnt/ adobe stock)

Chinese Unicorns: Harbingers of Good Omens

Considering that fanciful animals, which the Chinese collectively dub pixiu ( pi hsieh ), typically stem from a real creature, the question must be asked: Were there once horses with horns? Although...
the forbidden city in Beijing (chungking/ adobe stock)

Chinese Fantastic Beasts: The Taotie Demon Who Eats Humans

A strange animal that preys upon unsuspecting travelers, who devours them but cannot swallow them, may be representative of the human sin of gluttony, as the taotie, a Chinese mythological fantastic...