![]() Some legends describe the feng huang’s body as corresponding with the celestial bodies with its head as the sky, its eyes as the sun, its back as the moon, its feet as the Earth, and its tail as the planets. The beings each took responsibility for a fifth of their creations, with the feng huang commanding fire, summer, and south. They used their powers to form the five elements (metal, wood, water, fire, and earth), establish five seasons (spring, fall, winter, summer, and late summer), and divide the world into five regions (north, south, east, west, and center). These four fantastic creatures, dubbed the Four Spirits, joined forces with Pan Gu to create the world. They were the dragon, qilin (a horned and hooved creature), tortoise, and feng huang. According to Chinese myth, after Pan Gu burst from the giant “egg” of chaos, four other beings followed him into existence. The feng huang is one of the key players in Chinese cosmology. With millennia of history under its wing, the feng huang has ruled the roost as a symbol of Chinese culture. Others tell of its ability to transform into heavenly maidens. Some stories claim that the bird only lands where something precious is to be found. Legends praise the feng huang for its abilities to judge character and to bestow blessings on the honorable and kind. What we know of the oriental phoenix, or fèng huáng (鳳凰), comes from age-old folklore and mythology. ![]() Soar to the other side of the world, though, to the slender bamboo groves and wutong trees of the Orient, and a different phoenix rules the skies. This is the phoenix of the West-a symbol of renewal and second chances. ![]() Then, a small beak pokes out from beneath the powdery blanket, and the phoenix is reborn. After five centuries, an ancient bird ignites by its own fire and disintegrates to ash.
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