A scholar named Xie from Wuyuan(婺源) was studying on Mount Zhanggong(張公山). One morning, he heard the chirping of birds in the woods, resembling the cries of parrots. Upon approaching, he discovered a beautiful woman, about five inches tall, naked and without feathers, her entire body pure white like jade. Between her eyebrows, there was a look of sadness. Xie captured her and brought her home. Surprisingly, the woman showed no sign of fear.
A man named Zhang from Hezhou traveled to Yangzhou(揚州) and stayed at the Xingjiao Temple(興教寺). The monks’ quarters in the temple were haunted by a fox immortal, so no one dared to stay there. Zhang, with his carefree personality, decided to reside in the monk’s room.
Not long after Zhang moved in, an old man claiming to be Wu Gangzi(吳剛子) came to visit. After exchanging greetings with a bow, they began to converse.
Taotie is a mysterious creature in Chinese mythology. Its name translates to “gluttonous ogre” and is often associated with insatiable greed. Taotie’s depiction is primarily found on ritual bronze vessels from the Shang and Zhou dynasties, where it is characterized by a symmetrical, zoomorphic face, often without a lower jaw.
Origin and Evolution: The origins of Taotie remain unclear, but it is thought to have evolved from earlier totemic symbols.
In the mountains, there is a beast called 猙(Zheng). It looks like a red leopard, with five tails and one horn. It makes a sound like the sound of striking stones.
《山海經·西次三經》
又西二百八十裏，曰章莪之山，無草木，多瑤、碧。所為甚怪。有獸焉，其狀如赤豹，五尾一角，其音如擊石，其名如猙。
