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Qilin 麒麟 (qí lín)

Watercolor and Alcohol Markers, 2020
Wen Ting Dong 董文婷

The Qilin in Chinese culture is a bringer of good omen, and is extremely kind and benevolent, never harming any living thing. Qilin is known to have the mane of a lion, horns of a deer, eyes of a tiger, the body of an elk covered in dragon scales, tail of an ox but fans out in the end like that of a dragon. Qilin can serve as the mount of gods, is also able to breathe fire, and it’s roar sounds like thunder. This Celestial beast is sometimes held at the same high ranking as the Dragon and often appears with the birth of a wise ruler or Great sage. In fact, some legends said that Confucius's mother encountered this beast before she gave birth to Confucius, giving the saying of child gifting Qilin. This beast will leave good luck, prosperity, good harvest, health, and longevity in its wake wherever it goes. These features make Qilin an extremely popular beast to have around the common people since the symbol of the dragon and phoenix, which are also bringers of good luck, are reserved for the emperor and empress in ancient China. Qilin is still used today to describe individuals with great talents and skills.


Fun Fact - Some sources described Qilin with only one horn, combine that with his good omen bring characteristic, doesn’t that sound like the unicorn in Western legends.

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Qilin 麒麟 (qílín): Welcome
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