Vermillion Bird 朱雀 (zhū què)

Watercolor and Alcohol Markers, 2020
Wen Ting Dong 董文婷

The Vermillion Bird is also a member of the Four Great Celestial Beasts in Chinese myth. As its name suggests, the Vermillion Bird is a bird with bright red feathers that is surrounded by flames that never die out. This bird is the guardian of the South and symbolizes the season of summer and has the ability to control fire. Legend has that the Vermillion Bird is the symbol of the legendary Yan Emperor, and can bring a person to heaven after their death or bring them back to life. The Vermillion Bird and Phoenix are similar in appearances, but the relationship between them is still unknown. Some legends have that the Vermillion Bird is unrelated to the phoenix, while others say that phoenixes are descended from the Vermillion Bird. The majority of legends agree that the Vermillion bird is superior to phoenixes since phoenixes could be eaten in some legends while there’s only one Vermilion Bird in the world with the ability to be reborn through flames and therefore immortal.