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 👇
Long before silver-screen thieves plotted their perfect crimes, China had Dongfang Shuo, the original trickster.
A witty Han Dynasty scholar who outsmarted gods themselves, he stole the Queen Mother’s peaches of immortality not once, but three times, even convincing her fairy guards...
1/2
A witty Han Dynasty scholar who outsmarted gods themselves, he stole the Queen Mother’s peaches of immortality not once, but three times, even convincing her fairy guards...
1/2
December 3, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Long before silver-screen thieves plotted their perfect crimes, China had Dongfang Shuo, the original trickster.
A witty Han Dynasty scholar who outsmarted gods themselves, he stole the Queen Mother’s peaches of immortality not once, but three times, even convincing her fairy guards...
1/2
A witty Han Dynasty scholar who outsmarted gods themselves, he stole the Queen Mother’s peaches of immortality not once, but three times, even convincing her fairy guards...
1/2
In Tang legend, a monk named Zhiji possessed a gift unlike any other, he could taste not just tea, but the soul of its maker.
When Emperor Daizong offered him imperial tea, Zhiji took one sip and gently declined a second, saying it lacked the spirit found in the brew of his ... 1/3
#folklore
When Emperor Daizong offered him imperial tea, Zhiji took one sip and gently declined a second, saying it lacked the spirit found in the brew of his ... 1/3
#folklore
December 3, 2025 at 1:45 PM
In Tang legend, a monk named Zhiji possessed a gift unlike any other, he could taste not just tea, but the soul of its maker.
When Emperor Daizong offered him imperial tea, Zhiji took one sip and gently declined a second, saying it lacked the spirit found in the brew of his ... 1/3
#folklore
When Emperor Daizong offered him imperial tea, Zhiji took one sip and gently declined a second, saying it lacked the spirit found in the brew of his ... 1/3
#folklore
In ancient Chinese lore, every flower had its guardian spirit, and among these celestial caretakers bloomed two immortal women, Nü Yi (女夷) and Hua Gu (花姑).
Guided by the wisdom of the eternal Lady Wei Huacun, they ... 1/2
#mythology
Guided by the wisdom of the eternal Lady Wei Huacun, they ... 1/2
#mythology
December 2, 2025 at 5:15 PM
In ancient Chinese lore, every flower had its guardian spirit, and among these celestial caretakers bloomed two immortal women, Nü Yi (女夷) and Hua Gu (花姑).
Guided by the wisdom of the eternal Lady Wei Huacun, they ... 1/2
#mythology
Guided by the wisdom of the eternal Lady Wei Huacun, they ... 1/2
#mythology
Unlike many world myths led by male creators, China’s origin story begins with a goddess, Nüwa, the mother of all life. From yellow clay she molded humankind, breathing spirit into mud until it stirred and spoke. Yet her creation went further: she shaped balance itself, dividing 1/2
#mythology
#mythology
December 2, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Unlike many world myths led by male creators, China’s origin story begins with a goddess, Nüwa, the mother of all life. From yellow clay she molded humankind, breathing spirit into mud until it stirred and spoke. Yet her creation went further: she shaped balance itself, dividing 1/2
#mythology
#mythology
In the Shanhaijing, the Jun Ren, “Mushroom People”(菌人), blur the boundary between human and earth. Small as sprouts yet eerily human, they are said to grow from the soil itself, breathing the same life that sustains us.
🎨 Shanze
🎨 Shanze
December 1, 2025 at 5:30 PM
In the Shanhaijing, the Jun Ren, “Mushroom People”(菌人), blur the boundary between human and earth. Small as sprouts yet eerily human, they are said to grow from the soil itself, breathing the same life that sustains us.
🎨 Shanze
🎨 Shanze
Long before modern horror named the femme fatale, Chinese folklore whispered of the Painted Skin Ghost (畫皮鬼), a demon who steals human skin to walk among the living. Beneath its beauty lies decay, a mirror to the masks we craft for acceptance. Across dynasties and retellings, 1/2
#folklore
#folklore
December 1, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Long before modern horror named the femme fatale, Chinese folklore whispered of the Painted Skin Ghost (畫皮鬼), a demon who steals human skin to walk among the living. Beneath its beauty lies decay, a mirror to the masks we craft for acceptance. Across dynasties and retellings, 1/2
#folklore
#folklore
Few remember him, but before Nezha stole the spotlight, another fiery prodigy blazed across the heavens.
Red Boy, the Infant King, son of the Bull Demon King and Iron Fan Princess, once humbled Sun Wukong himself with his unstoppable Samadhi True Fire. Barefoot and fierce, wielding 1/2
Red Boy, the Infant King, son of the Bull Demon King and Iron Fan Princess, once humbled Sun Wukong himself with his unstoppable Samadhi True Fire. Barefoot and fierce, wielding 1/2
November 30, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Few remember him, but before Nezha stole the spotlight, another fiery prodigy blazed across the heavens.
Red Boy, the Infant King, son of the Bull Demon King and Iron Fan Princess, once humbled Sun Wukong himself with his unstoppable Samadhi True Fire. Barefoot and fierce, wielding 1/2
Red Boy, the Infant King, son of the Bull Demon King and Iron Fan Princess, once humbled Sun Wukong himself with his unstoppable Samadhi True Fire. Barefoot and fierce, wielding 1/2
China’s first monster manual wasn’t penned by man, It was whispered by Bai Ze, a divine beast with the gift of speech. #mythology
When the Yellow Emperor encountered him by the Eastern Sea, Bai Ze revealed the names, forms, and weaknesses of thousands of spirits and monsters. 1/2
When the Yellow Emperor encountered him by the Eastern Sea, Bai Ze revealed the names, forms, and weaknesses of thousands of spirits and monsters. 1/2
November 30, 2025 at 2:37 PM
China’s first monster manual wasn’t penned by man, It was whispered by Bai Ze, a divine beast with the gift of speech. #mythology
When the Yellow Emperor encountered him by the Eastern Sea, Bai Ze revealed the names, forms, and weaknesses of thousands of spirits and monsters. 1/2
When the Yellow Emperor encountered him by the Eastern Sea, Bai Ze revealed the names, forms, and weaknesses of thousands of spirits and monsters. 1/2
In the Chinese underworld, judgment isn’t one-size-fits-all.
Would you rather stand before Pan Guan, the solemn scribe of fate, who quietly alters lifespans with a stroke of his brush, or face a military judge, whip in hand, ready to lash both ghosts and sinners into submission?
in ALT.
#folklore
Would you rather stand before Pan Guan, the solemn scribe of fate, who quietly alters lifespans with a stroke of his brush, or face a military judge, whip in hand, ready to lash both ghosts and sinners into submission?
in ALT.
#folklore
November 29, 2025 at 5:03 PM
In the Chinese underworld, judgment isn’t one-size-fits-all.
Would you rather stand before Pan Guan, the solemn scribe of fate, who quietly alters lifespans with a stroke of his brush, or face a military judge, whip in hand, ready to lash both ghosts and sinners into submission?
in ALT.
#folklore
Would you rather stand before Pan Guan, the solemn scribe of fate, who quietly alters lifespans with a stroke of his brush, or face a military judge, whip in hand, ready to lash both ghosts and sinners into submission?
in ALT.
#folklore
In ancient China, tales from the Guangyang Miscellaneous Records warned of the Yellow Demon, a monstrous, feline-like predator with a grotesque head and matted yellow fur.
On the 22nd of each lunar month, it prowled villages, luring house cats into rivers, ... 1/2
#folklore #caturday
On the 22nd of each lunar month, it prowled villages, luring house cats into rivers, ... 1/2
#folklore #caturday
November 29, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Chinese mythology isn’t all peace and balance, it also roars with cosmic rebellion.
Gonggong, the red-haired water god with a serpent’s body, born of fire yet master of floods. In a furious clash with Emperor Zhuanxu, Gonggong struck Buzhou Mountain, a pillar of... 1/2
🎨 Snow Fish
Gonggong, the red-haired water god with a serpent’s body, born of fire yet master of floods. In a furious clash with Emperor Zhuanxu, Gonggong struck Buzhou Mountain, a pillar of... 1/2
🎨 Snow Fish
November 28, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Chinese mythology isn’t all peace and balance, it also roars with cosmic rebellion.
Gonggong, the red-haired water god with a serpent’s body, born of fire yet master of floods. In a furious clash with Emperor Zhuanxu, Gonggong struck Buzhou Mountain, a pillar of... 1/2
🎨 Snow Fish
Gonggong, the red-haired water god with a serpent’s body, born of fire yet master of floods. In a furious clash with Emperor Zhuanxu, Gonggong struck Buzhou Mountain, a pillar of... 1/2
🎨 Snow Fish
In every village shrine and roadside altar, Tudigong, the kindly Lord of the Land, stands watch.
More than a deity, he’s the spiritual grandfather of the community, blessing crops, guarding homes, and anchoring families to the land beneath their feet. 1/2
#mythology
More than a deity, he’s the spiritual grandfather of the community, blessing crops, guarding homes, and anchoring families to the land beneath their feet. 1/2
#mythology
November 28, 2025 at 2:02 PM
In every village shrine and roadside altar, Tudigong, the kindly Lord of the Land, stands watch.
More than a deity, he’s the spiritual grandfather of the community, blessing crops, guarding homes, and anchoring families to the land beneath their feet. 1/2
#mythology
More than a deity, he’s the spiritual grandfather of the community, blessing crops, guarding homes, and anchoring families to the land beneath their feet. 1/2
#mythology
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