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
Pinned
🦋 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 👇
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
You’ve seen the golden waving cats of fortune, but few know their ancient cousin perched silently on Chinese rooftops: the Tile Cat (瓦猫).
Born from kiln and superstition, these ceramic guardians watch over homes from the eaves, warding off fire, demons, and
#yaoguai #caturday 1/2
Born from kiln and superstition, these ceramic guardians watch over homes from the eaves, warding off fire, demons, and
#yaoguai #caturday 1/2
November 15, 2025 at 1:45 PM
To mortals, peaches are sweet fruit, but in Chinese myth, they’re the banquet of eternity.
Once every few thousand years, the Queen Mother of the West hosts the fabled Peach Banquet (蟠桃會) at her Jade Pool Palace, where immortals gather not for 1/2
#mythology #painting
Once every few thousand years, the Queen Mother of the West hosts the fabled Peach Banquet (蟠桃會) at her Jade Pool Palace, where immortals gather not for 1/2
#mythology #painting
November 14, 2025 at 5:15 PM
To mortals, peaches are sweet fruit, but in Chinese myth, they’re the banquet of eternity.
Once every few thousand years, the Queen Mother of the West hosts the fabled Peach Banquet (蟠桃會) at her Jade Pool Palace, where immortals gather not for 1/2
#mythology #painting
Once every few thousand years, the Queen Mother of the West hosts the fabled Peach Banquet (蟠桃會) at her Jade Pool Palace, where immortals gather not for 1/2
#mythology #painting
For over two thousand years, Laozi’s westward journey (老子出關) has stirred wonder and argument.
Some Daoist legends claim he became the Buddha himself, a tale known as the Hua Hu theory, bridging Daoism and Buddhism in a single mythic thread. Other 1/3
#folklore
Some Daoist legends claim he became the Buddha himself, a tale known as the Hua Hu theory, bridging Daoism and Buddhism in a single mythic thread. Other 1/3
#folklore
November 14, 2025 at 2:03 PM
For over two thousand years, Laozi’s westward journey (老子出關) has stirred wonder and argument.
Some Daoist legends claim he became the Buddha himself, a tale known as the Hua Hu theory, bridging Daoism and Buddhism in a single mythic thread. Other 1/3
#folklore
Some Daoist legends claim he became the Buddha himself, a tale known as the Hua Hu theory, bridging Daoism and Buddhism in a single mythic thread. Other 1/3
#folklore
In Chinese #mythology, the Blue Bird soars where even longing cannot reach, a divine messenger linking mortals and immortals.
Serving the Queen Mother of the West, it carried messages between worlds, transcending time, distance, and death itself. 1/2
Serving the Queen Mother of the West, it carried messages between worlds, transcending time, distance, and death itself. 1/2
November 13, 2025 at 5:15 PM
In Chinese #mythology, the Blue Bird soars where even longing cannot reach, a divine messenger linking mortals and immortals.
Serving the Queen Mother of the West, it carried messages between worlds, transcending time, distance, and death itself. 1/2
Serving the Queen Mother of the West, it carried messages between worlds, transcending time, distance, and death itself. 1/2
When Zhuangzii(莊子, late 4th century BC) ’s wife passed away, he did the unthinkable: he drummed and sang beside her body. To his shocked friends, the philosopher explained that life and death were but phases in the same cosmic rhythm. Just as mist becomes rain,
#folklore
#folklore
November 13, 2025 at 1:45 PM
When Zhuangzii(莊子, late 4th century BC) ’s wife passed away, he did the unthinkable: he drummed and sang beside her body. To his shocked friends, the philosopher explained that life and death were but phases in the same cosmic rhythm. Just as mist becomes rain,
#folklore
#folklore
In Chinese tradition, the chrysanthemum is no passive bloom. It’s a quiet act of rebellion.
When Tao Yuanming(365–427) wrote, “Picking chrysanthemums by the eastern fence, I leisurely see the southern mountain(采菊東籬下，悠然見南山),” he wasn’t admiring scenery but 1/2
#folklore
When Tao Yuanming(365–427) wrote, “Picking chrysanthemums by the eastern fence, I leisurely see the southern mountain(采菊東籬下，悠然見南山),” he wasn’t admiring scenery but 1/2
#folklore
November 12, 2025 at 1:45 PM
In Chinese tradition, the chrysanthemum is no passive bloom. It’s a quiet act of rebellion.
When Tao Yuanming(365–427) wrote, “Picking chrysanthemums by the eastern fence, I leisurely see the southern mountain(采菊東籬下，悠然見南山),” he wasn’t admiring scenery but 1/2
#folklore
When Tao Yuanming(365–427) wrote, “Picking chrysanthemums by the eastern fence, I leisurely see the southern mountain(采菊東籬下，悠然見南山),” he wasn’t admiring scenery but 1/2
#folklore
Before locks and alarms, Chinese households trusted Shentu (神荼) and Yulü (鬱壘), the earliest guardians of the threshold.
Stationed at the gates of the spirit realm, these twin door gods seized wandering demons with reeds and fed them to tigers. Their likenesses, 1/2
#mythology
Stationed at the gates of the spirit realm, these twin door gods seized wandering demons with reeds and fed them to tigers. Their likenesses, 1/2
#mythology
November 11, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Before locks and alarms, Chinese households trusted Shentu (神荼) and Yulü (鬱壘), the earliest guardians of the threshold.
Stationed at the gates of the spirit realm, these twin door gods seized wandering demons with reeds and fed them to tigers. Their likenesses, 1/2
#mythology
Stationed at the gates of the spirit realm, these twin door gods seized wandering demons with reeds and fed them to tigers. Their likenesses, 1/2
#mythology
The Fusang Tree in ancient Chinese #mythology rivals the Norse World Tree yet grows from a different vision of the cosmos.
Described as two colossal mulberries entwined, it cradles the Golden Crow, that is the sun itself each dawn. 1/2
Described as two colossal mulberries entwined, it cradles the Golden Crow, that is the sun itself each dawn. 1/2
November 11, 2025 at 2:03 PM
The Fusang Tree in ancient Chinese #mythology rivals the Norse World Tree yet grows from a different vision of the cosmos.
Described as two colossal mulberries entwined, it cradles the Golden Crow, that is the sun itself each dawn. 1/2
Described as two colossal mulberries entwined, it cradles the Golden Crow, that is the sun itself each dawn. 1/2
In Chinese #folklore, as recorded in Yijian Xu Zhi, banana trees are anything but harmless. If left undisturbed for 50 years, they risk becoming bajiao gui(芭蕉鬼), that is, Banana Tree Ghosts. But the true terror lies in their sensitivity to blood. 1/2
November 10, 2025 at 5:15 PM
In Chinese #folklore, as recorded in Yijian Xu Zhi, banana trees are anything but harmless. If left undisturbed for 50 years, they risk becoming bajiao gui(芭蕉鬼), that is, Banana Tree Ghosts. But the true terror lies in their sensitivity to blood. 1/2
Once the thunderous guardian of Kunlun’s nine gates, Luwu, a nine-tailed tiger deity from the Shanhaijing, helped command the heavenly seasons. But over centuries, Luwu's wild divinity was tamed.
By the Jin dynasty's Zhu Shu Ji Nian, 1/2
#mythology
By the Jin dynasty's Zhu Shu Ji Nian, 1/2
#mythology
November 10, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Once the thunderous guardian of Kunlun’s nine gates, Luwu, a nine-tailed tiger deity from the Shanhaijing, helped command the heavenly seasons. But over centuries, Luwu's wild divinity was tamed.
By the Jin dynasty's Zhu Shu Ji Nian, 1/2
#mythology
By the Jin dynasty's Zhu Shu Ji Nian, 1/2
#mythology
The eerie jiangshi, China’s hopping vampire, has leapt from Qing tombs to TikTok screens, finding new life in modern horror and C-dramas.
Its legend began not in nightmares, but in necessity: during the old practice of “corpse-walking,” Daoist priests guided
#folklore
1/2
Its legend began not in nightmares, but in necessity: during the old practice of “corpse-walking,” Daoist priests guided
#folklore
1/2
November 9, 2025 at 5:02 PM
The eerie jiangshi, China’s hopping vampire, has leapt from Qing tombs to TikTok screens, finding new life in modern horror and C-dramas.
Its legend began not in nightmares, but in necessity: during the old practice of “corpse-walking,” Daoist priests guided
#folklore
1/2
Its legend began not in nightmares, but in necessity: during the old practice of “corpse-walking,” Daoist priests guided
#folklore
1/2
Centuries before Virginia Woolf dreamed of a “room of one’s own,” Li Qingzhao(1084 – ca. 1155) already claimed hers in the Song Dynasty. While most women were bound to the household, she built a library of 4,000 volumes and wrote with a voice both lyrical and defiant. 1/2
#poem
#poem
November 9, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Centuries before Virginia Woolf dreamed of a “room of one’s own,” Li Qingzhao(1084 – ca. 1155) already claimed hers in the Song Dynasty. While most women were bound to the household, she built a library of 4,000 volumes and wrote with a voice both lyrical and defiant. 1/2
#poem
#poem
Long before they danced for joy in the sky, Chinese kites were instruments of war.
Over 2,000 years ago, generals used them to measure the distance to enemy camps and signal troops across vast fields. The earliest models weren’t paper but wooden, crafted by philosopher Mozi,
1/2
#history #art
Over 2,000 years ago, generals used them to measure the distance to enemy camps and signal troops across vast fields. The earliest models weren’t paper but wooden, crafted by philosopher Mozi,
1/2
#history #art
November 8, 2025 at 5:02 PM
In many of China’s rural villages, cats walk the edge between life and spirit.
Tradition warns that if a cat leaps over a corpse, it may trigger “corpse transformation” (屍變), a terrible stirring of the dead. #caturday
Families keep vigil in the ancestral hall before burial, 1/3
Tradition warns that if a cat leaps over a corpse, it may trigger “corpse transformation” (屍變), a terrible stirring of the dead. #caturday
Families keep vigil in the ancestral hall before burial, 1/3
November 8, 2025 at 1:45 PM
In many of China’s rural villages, cats walk the edge between life and spirit.
Tradition warns that if a cat leaps over a corpse, it may trigger “corpse transformation” (屍變), a terrible stirring of the dead. #caturday
Families keep vigil in the ancestral hall before burial, 1/3
Tradition warns that if a cat leaps over a corpse, it may trigger “corpse transformation” (屍變), a terrible stirring of the dead. #caturday
Families keep vigil in the ancestral hall before burial, 1/3
Would you willingly let go of everything you’ve ever known to start anew?
Meng Po, the Lady of Forgetfulness in Chinese #mythology, is said to wait by the Naihe Bridge, where souls must cross to their next life.
With her mysterious Meng Po Soup, 1/2
Meng Po, the Lady of Forgetfulness in Chinese #mythology, is said to wait by the Naihe Bridge, where souls must cross to their next life.
With her mysterious Meng Po Soup, 1/2
November 7, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Would you willingly let go of everything you’ve ever known to start anew?
Meng Po, the Lady of Forgetfulness in Chinese #mythology, is said to wait by the Naihe Bridge, where souls must cross to their next life.
With her mysterious Meng Po Soup, 1/2
Meng Po, the Lady of Forgetfulness in Chinese #mythology, is said to wait by the Naihe Bridge, where souls must cross to their next life.
With her mysterious Meng Po Soup, 1/2