XingWu🐉ChineseFolklore
@xingwu.bsky.social
@x1ngwu on X. I collect, translate and write about ancient Chinese folklore, mythology, and history. Love books and cats.
Mythology | Yaoguai(妖怪) | Ghost(鬼) | Art | Myth | Fantasy | History
Mythology | Yaoguai(妖怪) | Ghost(鬼) | Art | Myth | Fantasy | History
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🦋 Folklore-related tags on Bluesky, along with their hosts—already active on the platform—who run weekly themes:
#MythologyMonday
#FairyTaleTuesday
#LegendaryWednesday
#WyrdWednesday
#BOOKOLOGYTHURSDAY
#FolkyFriday
#BookWormSat
#FolkloreSunday
#BookChatWeekly
Please see their accounts below 👇
#MythologyMonday
#FairyTaleTuesday
#LegendaryWednesday
#WyrdWednesday
#BOOKOLOGYTHURSDAY
#FolkyFriday
#BookWormSat
#FolkloreSunday
#BookChatWeekly
Please see their accounts below 👇
What began as a nap beneath blooming plum trees became a beauty trend that echoed through dynasties.
Princess Shouyang dozed in the palace garden, and when she awoke, fallen petals clung gently to her forehead. The Empress, enchanted by this accidental elegance, urged her to ... 1/2
#folklore
Princess Shouyang dozed in the palace garden, and when she awoke, fallen petals clung gently to her forehead. The Empress, enchanted by this accidental elegance, urged her to ... 1/2
#folklore
November 27, 2025 at 5:30 PM
What began as a nap beneath blooming plum trees became a beauty trend that echoed through dynasties.
Princess Shouyang dozed in the palace garden, and when she awoke, fallen petals clung gently to her forehead. The Empress, enchanted by this accidental elegance, urged her to ... 1/2
#folklore
Princess Shouyang dozed in the palace garden, and when she awoke, fallen petals clung gently to her forehead. The Empress, enchanted by this accidental elegance, urged her to ... 1/2
#folklore
Chinese hell isn’t just fire and torment. It’s a moral courtroom.
Yan Wang, the King of Hell, doesn’t simply punish; he evaluates, records, and offers a path to redemption. In this intricate system, even the gravest sinners aren’t doomed forever. By accepting their sentence and 1/2
#folklore
Yan Wang, the King of Hell, doesn’t simply punish; he evaluates, records, and offers a path to redemption. In this intricate system, even the gravest sinners aren’t doomed forever. By accepting their sentence and 1/2
#folklore
November 27, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Chinese hell isn’t just fire and torment. It’s a moral courtroom.
Yan Wang, the King of Hell, doesn’t simply punish; he evaluates, records, and offers a path to redemption. In this intricate system, even the gravest sinners aren’t doomed forever. By accepting their sentence and 1/2
#folklore
Yan Wang, the King of Hell, doesn’t simply punish; he evaluates, records, and offers a path to redemption. In this intricate system, even the gravest sinners aren’t doomed forever. By accepting their sentence and 1/2
#folklore
Why do some Chinese dragons coil endlessly around pillars, never soaring skyward?
These are Pan Long (蟠龍), the earthbound rebels who failed to ascend to heaven. Ancient records say they stretched four zhang long (about 40 feet), wielding venom so lethal it killed on contact. But
1/2
These are Pan Long (蟠龍), the earthbound rebels who failed to ascend to heaven. Ancient records say they stretched four zhang long (about 40 feet), wielding venom so lethal it killed on contact. But
1/2
November 26, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Why do some Chinese dragons coil endlessly around pillars, never soaring skyward?
These are Pan Long (蟠龍), the earthbound rebels who failed to ascend to heaven. Ancient records say they stretched four zhang long (about 40 feet), wielding venom so lethal it killed on contact. But
1/2
These are Pan Long (蟠龍), the earthbound rebels who failed to ascend to heaven. Ancient records say they stretched four zhang long (about 40 feet), wielding venom so lethal it killed on contact. But
1/2
Think you’ve seen a Chinese dragon gliding through a lake? Look again.
It might be a Chinese Jiao (蛟), another misunderstood creature often mistaken for its nobler cousin. Unlike dragons, Jiao bring floods and chaos, not blessings. They lack regal horns, but bear a fleshy mark 1/2
It might be a Chinese Jiao (蛟), another misunderstood creature often mistaken for its nobler cousin. Unlike dragons, Jiao bring floods and chaos, not blessings. They lack regal horns, but bear a fleshy mark 1/2
November 26, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Think you’ve seen a Chinese dragon gliding through a lake? Look again.
It might be a Chinese Jiao (蛟), another misunderstood creature often mistaken for its nobler cousin. Unlike dragons, Jiao bring floods and chaos, not blessings. They lack regal horns, but bear a fleshy mark 1/2
It might be a Chinese Jiao (蛟), another misunderstood creature often mistaken for its nobler cousin. Unlike dragons, Jiao bring floods and chaos, not blessings. They lack regal horns, but bear a fleshy mark 1/2
In Chinese #mythology, the Kunlun Mountain is a mythic realm where flames burn without fuel, and water won’t float a feather. It’s a threshold to the divine, home to immortals and ruled by the Queen Mother of the West. 1/2
November 25, 2025 at 5:07 PM
In Chinese #mythology, the Kunlun Mountain is a mythic realm where flames burn without fuel, and water won’t float a feather. It’s a threshold to the divine, home to immortals and ruled by the Queen Mother of the West. 1/2
In Chinese #folklore, “猴子撈月” tells of monkeys forming a chain to rescue the moon from a well, only to grasp its reflection.
A tale of unity, yes, but also a quiet warning: not everything dazzling is real. Like chasing illusions, some efforts, no matter how sincere, end in empty hands.
🎨 Victo Ngai
A tale of unity, yes, but also a quiet warning: not everything dazzling is real. Like chasing illusions, some efforts, no matter how sincere, end in empty hands.
🎨 Victo Ngai
November 25, 2025 at 2:40 PM
In Chinese #folklore, “猴子撈月” tells of monkeys forming a chain to rescue the moon from a well, only to grasp its reflection.
A tale of unity, yes, but also a quiet warning: not everything dazzling is real. Like chasing illusions, some efforts, no matter how sincere, end in empty hands.
🎨 Victo Ngai
A tale of unity, yes, but also a quiet warning: not everything dazzling is real. Like chasing illusions, some efforts, no matter how sincere, end in empty hands.
🎨 Victo Ngai
What torment fits the crime?
In Chinese #mythology, the Eighteen Levels of Hell answer with brutal precision. Each level tailored to the sin, each punishment twentyfold worse than the last. Boiling oil, tongue-pulling, knife mountains, nothing is random under Yanluowang’s rule.
1/2
In Chinese #mythology, the Eighteen Levels of Hell answer with brutal precision. Each level tailored to the sin, each punishment twentyfold worse than the last. Boiling oil, tongue-pulling, knife mountains, nothing is random under Yanluowang’s rule.
1/2
November 24, 2025 at 5:30 PM
What torment fits the crime?
In Chinese #mythology, the Eighteen Levels of Hell answer with brutal precision. Each level tailored to the sin, each punishment twentyfold worse than the last. Boiling oil, tongue-pulling, knife mountains, nothing is random under Yanluowang’s rule.
1/2
In Chinese #mythology, the Eighteen Levels of Hell answer with brutal precision. Each level tailored to the sin, each punishment twentyfold worse than the last. Boiling oil, tongue-pulling, knife mountains, nothing is random under Yanluowang’s rule.
1/2
In Chinese mythology, glimpsing Fu Zhu, a gentle white deer with four horns, was no blessing.
Despite its serene appearance, this rare beast was an omen of devastating floods. Its presence signaled nature out of balance, a warning cloaked in elegance.
🎨 Fu Zhu, by Shanze
Despite its serene appearance, this rare beast was an omen of devastating floods. Its presence signaled nature out of balance, a warning cloaked in elegance.
🎨 Fu Zhu, by Shanze
November 24, 2025 at 2:38 PM
In Chinese mythology, glimpsing Fu Zhu, a gentle white deer with four horns, was no blessing.
Despite its serene appearance, this rare beast was an omen of devastating floods. Its presence signaled nature out of balance, a warning cloaked in elegance.
🎨 Fu Zhu, by Shanze
Despite its serene appearance, this rare beast was an omen of devastating floods. Its presence signaled nature out of balance, a warning cloaked in elegance.
🎨 Fu Zhu, by Shanze
In Chinese #mythology, the north isn’t just cold. It’s sacred.
Xuanwu, the Black Tortoise entwined with a serpent, guards this direction as a symbol of deep transformation. Earth and snake, stability and change, his dual nature reflects the tension we all navigate in life.
1/2
Xuanwu, the Black Tortoise entwined with a serpent, guards this direction as a symbol of deep transformation. Earth and snake, stability and change, his dual nature reflects the tension we all navigate in life.
1/2
November 23, 2025 at 5:01 PM
In Chinese #mythology, the north isn’t just cold. It’s sacred.
Xuanwu, the Black Tortoise entwined with a serpent, guards this direction as a symbol of deep transformation. Earth and snake, stability and change, his dual nature reflects the tension we all navigate in life.
1/2
Xuanwu, the Black Tortoise entwined with a serpent, guards this direction as a symbol of deep transformation. Earth and snake, stability and change, his dual nature reflects the tension we all navigate in life.
1/2
Interesting fact: In #JTTW, when Sun Wukong met Tang Seng, he wasn’t a cheeky young trickster, he was already 1,221 years old!
He lived 342 years before defying death, spent 180 years wrecking Heaven, endured 49 days (that aged like years) in Laozi’s furnace, and then sat 632 years 1/2
#sunwukong
He lived 342 years before defying death, spent 180 years wrecking Heaven, endured 49 days (that aged like years) in Laozi’s furnace, and then sat 632 years 1/2
#sunwukong
November 23, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Interesting fact: In #JTTW, when Sun Wukong met Tang Seng, he wasn’t a cheeky young trickster, he was already 1,221 years old!
He lived 342 years before defying death, spent 180 years wrecking Heaven, endured 49 days (that aged like years) in Laozi’s furnace, and then sat 632 years 1/2
#sunwukong
He lived 342 years before defying death, spent 180 years wrecking Heaven, endured 49 days (that aged like years) in Laozi’s furnace, and then sat 632 years 1/2
#sunwukong
Zhulong, known as the Torch Dragon, has a human face and serpent’s body, didn’t just light the heavens. When Zhulong opened his eyes, day began; when he closed them, night fell. With a breath, he stirred seasonal winds, shaping time and weather alike.
#mythology
#mythology
November 22, 2025 at 5:02 PM
Zhulong, known as the Torch Dragon, has a human face and serpent’s body, didn’t just light the heavens. When Zhulong opened his eyes, day began; when he closed them, night fell. With a breath, he stirred seasonal winds, shaping time and weather alike.
#mythology
#mythology
In ancient China, the most feared witchcraft didn’t come from spells. It came from cats. #folklore #caturday
Cat Ghosts (猫蛊) were believed to devour victims from within, siphoning their life and fortune to a hidden master. Sorcerers bred and sacrificed cats to unleash these unseen predators, 1/2
Cat Ghosts (猫蛊) were believed to devour victims from within, siphoning their life and fortune to a hidden master. Sorcerers bred and sacrificed cats to unleash these unseen predators, 1/2
November 22, 2025 at 2:02 PM
The Vermilion Bird (朱雀) blazes eternal, not consumed, but reborn in flame. Guardian of the south, summer, and fire, it’s one of the Four Symbols that anchor ancient Chinese cosmology.
1/2
#mythology
🎨 Zhuque, by Shan Ze
1/2
#mythology
🎨 Zhuque, by Shan Ze
November 21, 2025 at 5:15 PM
The Vermilion Bird (朱雀) blazes eternal, not consumed, but reborn in flame. Guardian of the south, summer, and fire, it’s one of the Four Symbols that anchor ancient Chinese cosmology.
1/2
#mythology
🎨 Zhuque, by Shan Ze
1/2
#mythology
🎨 Zhuque, by Shan Ze
In Chinese mythology, as the winged dragon of balance, the Yellow Dragon (應龍) commands wind and storm, linking heaven’s will with the emperor’s rule.
Centered in Chinese cosmology, Ying Long aided the Yellow Emperor in battle and became a sacred emblem of rightful sovereignty. 1/2
#mythology
Centered in Chinese cosmology, Ying Long aided the Yellow Emperor in battle and became a sacred emblem of rightful sovereignty. 1/2
#mythology
November 21, 2025 at 2:03 PM
In Chinese mythology, as the winged dragon of balance, the Yellow Dragon (應龍) commands wind and storm, linking heaven’s will with the emperor’s rule.
Centered in Chinese cosmology, Ying Long aided the Yellow Emperor in battle and became a sacred emblem of rightful sovereignty. 1/2
#mythology
Centered in Chinese cosmology, Ying Long aided the Yellow Emperor in battle and became a sacred emblem of rightful sovereignty. 1/2
#mythology
Feitian of the Dunhuang caves drift across stone and time, not on wings, but on waves of silk.
Unlike Western angels, their flight is an illusion born from rhythm and grace, not feathers. Rooted in Indian Buddhist iconography yet reshaped by Chinese aesthetics, these 1/2
#art #painting
Unlike Western angels, their flight is an illusion born from rhythm and grace, not feathers. Rooted in Indian Buddhist iconography yet reshaped by Chinese aesthetics, these 1/2
#art #painting
November 20, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Jiu Tian Xuan Nu (九天玄女), the Dark Lady of the Nine Heavens, blurs the lines between mystic and warrior. With a bird’s body and human face, she descends from the Queen Mother of the West to arm the Yellow Emperor with Daoist secrets, turning tides against the chaos god Chiyou. 1/2
November 20, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Jiu Tian Xuan Nu (九天玄女), the Dark Lady of the Nine Heavens, blurs the lines between mystic and warrior. With a bird’s body and human face, she descends from the Queen Mother of the West to arm the Yellow Emperor with Daoist secrets, turning tides against the chaos god Chiyou. 1/2
In Chinese #folklore, the Hungry Ghost roams with a belly aflame and a needle-thin throat, cursed to crave endlessly, yet never be filled. It’s more than a tale of supernatural hunger; it’s karma made flesh.
Condemned by past greed or neglect, these spirits embody spiritual emptiness that 1/2
Condemned by past greed or neglect, these spirits embody spiritual emptiness that 1/2
November 19, 2025 at 5:30 PM
In Chinese #folklore, the Hungry Ghost roams with a belly aflame and a needle-thin throat, cursed to crave endlessly, yet never be filled. It’s more than a tale of supernatural hunger; it’s karma made flesh.
Condemned by past greed or neglect, these spirits embody spiritual emptiness that 1/2
Condemned by past greed or neglect, these spirits embody spiritual emptiness that 1/2
Ruling the east and the rising of spring, the Azure Dragon (青龍) carries the power of rebirth, not destruction. Unlike most wingless Chinese dragons, it bears wings like the ancient Yinglong, bridging earth and sky. 1/2
#mythology
🎨 The Azure Dragon, by Shan Ze
#mythology
🎨 The Azure Dragon, by Shan Ze
November 19, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Ruling the east and the rising of spring, the Azure Dragon (青龍) carries the power of rebirth, not destruction. Unlike most wingless Chinese dragons, it bears wings like the ancient Yinglong, bridging earth and sky. 1/2
#mythology
🎨 The Azure Dragon, by Shan Ze
#mythology
🎨 The Azure Dragon, by Shan Ze
In 晉中興徵祥說 and other ancient texts, the White Tiger stands not as a warrior, but as a celestial judge, measuring virtue, not might. Symbol of autumn and clarity, it reveals a worldview where true leadership flows from moral integrity, not brute force. Far from a predator, 1/2
#mythology
#mythology
November 18, 2025 at 5:05 PM
In 晉中興徵祥說 and other ancient texts, the White Tiger stands not as a warrior, but as a celestial judge, measuring virtue, not might. Symbol of autumn and clarity, it reveals a worldview where true leadership flows from moral integrity, not brute force. Far from a predator, 1/2
#mythology
#mythology
Yaksha (夜叉) slip through Chinese folklore like shadows with purpose, born from Indian myth, reborn in Chinese imagination. Neither ghost nor vampire, they thrive not by fleeing light, but by mastering the dark. Hairless, hump-headed, wielding iron forks, they 1/2
#folklore
#folklore
November 18, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Yaksha (夜叉) slip through Chinese folklore like shadows with purpose, born from Indian myth, reborn in Chinese imagination. Neither ghost nor vampire, they thrive not by fleeing light, but by mastering the dark. Hairless, hump-headed, wielding iron forks, they 1/2
#folklore
#folklore
Sun Wukong’s “Seventy-Two Transformations” go beyond shapeshifting. With a flicker of thought, he becomes beast, breeze, child, or crone. Gender, form, role, none can bind him.
🎨 《闹天宫》刘继卣
#JTTW #monkeyKing #SunWukong
🎨 《闹天宫》刘继卣
#JTTW #monkeyKing #SunWukong
November 17, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Sun Wukong’s “Seventy-Two Transformations” go beyond shapeshifting. With a flicker of thought, he becomes beast, breeze, child, or crone. Gender, form, role, none can bind him.
🎨 《闹天宫》刘继卣
#JTTW #monkeyKing #SunWukong
🎨 《闹天宫》刘继卣
#JTTW #monkeyKing #SunWukong
A tale from Han Feizi mocks inaction and blind routine, “waiting by the stump” (守株待兔):
A rabbit once dashed into a tree and died, became free meat for a startled farmer. Elated, that farmer waited by that same tree every day, hoping fortune would strike twice. It never did. 1/2
#folklore
A rabbit once dashed into a tree and died, became free meat for a startled farmer. Elated, that farmer waited by that same tree every day, hoping fortune would strike twice. It never did. 1/2
#folklore
November 16, 2025 at 5:02 PM
A tale from Han Feizi mocks inaction and blind routine, “waiting by the stump” (守株待兔):
A rabbit once dashed into a tree and died, became free meat for a startled farmer. Elated, that farmer waited by that same tree every day, hoping fortune would strike twice. It never did. 1/2
#folklore
A rabbit once dashed into a tree and died, became free meat for a startled farmer. Elated, that farmer waited by that same tree every day, hoping fortune would strike twice. It never did. 1/2
#folklore
Long before “lying flat” became a modern slogan, the Tang Dynasty’s Xiangshan Nine Elders, including the poet Bai Juyi, had already perfected the art of quiet resistance.
Retreating to Mount Xiang, they turned their backs on imperial ambition, choosing calm
1/3
#painting #folklore
Retreating to Mount Xiang, they turned their backs on imperial ambition, choosing calm
1/3
#painting #folklore
November 16, 2025 at 1:45 PM
In Chinese #mythology, the tears of Ehuang and Nüying, daughters of Emperor Yao and wives of Emperor Shun, gave birth to the spotted bamboo of Mount Jiuyi.
Far from being silent ornaments of the court, these two consorts defied the fragile image of women in legend. They 1/2
Far from being silent ornaments of the court, these two consorts defied the fragile image of women in legend. They 1/2
November 15, 2025 at 5:03 PM
In Chinese #mythology, the tears of Ehuang and Nüying, daughters of Emperor Yao and wives of Emperor Shun, gave birth to the spotted bamboo of Mount Jiuyi.
Far from being silent ornaments of the court, these two consorts defied the fragile image of women in legend. They 1/2
Far from being silent ornaments of the court, these two consorts defied the fragile image of women in legend. They 1/2