Cranes in Chinese mythology

Bamboo and Cranes, by Bian Jingzhao

Cranes (simplified Chinese: 鹤; traditional Chinese: 鶴; pinyin: Hè) are an important motif in Chinese mythology. There are various myths involving cranes, and in Chinese mythology cranes are generally symbolically connected with the idea of longevity.[1]: 86–87 [2][3] In China, the crane mythology is associated with the divine bird worship in the animal totemism; cranes have a spiritual meaning where they are a form of divine bird which travels between heaven and man's world.[3] Cranes regularly appear in Chinese arts such as paintings, tapestry, and decorative arts; they are also often depicted carrying the souls of the deceased to heaven.[2] The crane is the second most important bird after the fenghuang, the symbol of the empress, in China.[4]: 108 

The motifs of cranes may vary in a range from reference to real cranes (such as the red-crowned crane) referring to transformed Taoist immortals (xian), who sometimes were said to have magical abilities to transform into cranes in order to fly on various journeys.[citation needed] When a taoist priest dies, it is referred as yuhua (羽化; lit. "turning into a feathered (Crane)").[1]: 86–87 

Chinese mythology refers to those myths found in the historical geographic area of China. The geographic area of "China" is of course a concept which has evolved of changed through history. Chinese mythology include myths in Chinese and other languages, as transmitted by Han Chinese as well as other minority ethnic groups.[5]: 4 

  1. ^ a b Eberhard, Wolfram (1986). A dictionary of Chinese symbols : hidden symbols in Chinese life and thought. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. ISBN 0-7102-0191-5. OCLC 11970928.
  2. ^ a b Meine, Curt (1996). The cranes : status survey and conservation action plan. George Archibald. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN. p. 13. ISBN 2-8317-0326-3. OCLC 35769248.
  3. ^ a b Zhuo, Xinping (2018). Religious faith of the Chinese. Singapore. p. 44. ISBN 978-981-10-6379-4. OCLC 1017489156.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ^ Perkins, Dorothy (2013). Encyclopedia of China : History and Culture. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis. ISBN 978-1-135-93562-7. OCLC 869091722.
  5. ^ Yang, Lihui (2005). Handbook of Chinese mythology. Deming An. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO. ISBN 1-57607-807-8. OCLC 61397586.