The bixie is a divine animal in ancient legends. So far as we know, the first person to describe the bixie was Dongfang Shuo in the Han Dynasty. As he wrote in Records of the Ten Continents, 'The continent of Juku is in the West Sea and has a circumference of 3,000 li. It extends 260,000 li northward to connect with the Kunlun Mountains and is 240,000 li from the east coast. On the mountains there are many palaces of immortals with numerous houses one next to another. Animals living there include lions, bixie with huge teeth, tianlu with long teeth, and beasts with copper heads and iron foreheads[1].' The fact that Dongfang Shuo saw tianlu and bixie as divine animals is closely related to cultural and artistic exchanges between China and foreign countries during the Han Dynasty.
Animal images among ancient Chinese artworks fall into two general categories: realistic animals and dramatic transformations of various animals combined, which were usually considered to be auspicious. What are now known as bixie, tianlu and kylins fall into the second category. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, they were similar to lions or deer in overall appearance. Research by contemporary scholars suggests that what is now commonly known as bixie could be the same as what is referred to as fuba in ancient records. In other scholars' opinion, the tianlu has one horn, the bixie has two, and the fuba has none. According to the Traditions of the Western Regions in Book of Han, 'The capital of Alexandria Prophthasia State is 12,000 li away from Chang'an ... Native animals include taoba, lions and rhinoceroses ... The country is very remote and the Han Dynasty seldom sends envoys there.' A note on this passage by Meng Kang in the Kingdom of Wei (founded by Cao Cao) says, 'The taoba, also known as fuba, resembles a deer and has a long tail. It is called a "heavenly deer" if it has one horn, or bixie if it has two[2].' It is recorded in the Annals of Emperor Zhang in Book of the Later Han that the State of Yuezhi (or Rouzhi) sent an envoy to China, who presented fuba and lions, in the first year of Zhanghe period[3]. This is also recorded in the Treatise on the Western Regions in Book of the Later Han, which also says that the fuba resembles a kylin but has no horns[4].
A passage in Bao Pu Zi (Book of the Preservation-of-Solidarity Master) goes, 'There are divine animals called lion, bixie, sanlu, jiaoyang and so on, which have copper heads, iron foreheads, and long and sharp teeth. If the names of all the thirty-six kinds of divine animals are known, none of the hungry ghosts and beasts would dare to offend humans anymore[5].'
In ancient Chinese records, bixie and tianlu usually appear in pairs. According to a note by Li Xian in the Tang Dynasty on Annals of Emperor Ling in Book of the Later Han, 'There is a stele dedicated to Zong Zi north of Nanyang County in Dengzhou today. It is flanked by two stone animals, which bear on their limbs the names of tianlu and bixie respectively[6].'
Ancient Chinese believed that the bixie was capable of warding off evil spirits. It is said in the third volume of Ji Jiu Pian (literally “Rapid Completion of Studies”), a book written during the Han Dynasty, that the sheji and the bixie can eliminate all fierce spirits. A note on this by Yan Shigu in the Tang Dynasty says, 'Both sheji and bixie are names of divine animals... Bixie means defense [bi] against evil spirits [xie][7].' The book Xiao Er Ya (Supplement to Erya) interprets bi as 'eliminate' in Expanding Words. In the 10th volume of Inquiries into the Meanings of Names, Zhou Qi in the Ming Dynasty wrote, 'The bixie is so named because it can eliminate inauspicious things; the tianlu is so named because it can make happiness last forever. Sculptures of the tianlu were placed at the gates of buildings during the Han Dynasty and ancient people decorated buyao [dangling ornaments worn by women] with bixie design--in both cases, the meaning is a wish for warding off ill luck and maintaining happiness[8].' Thus it can be known that the original meaning of bixie is expelling evil spirits and eliminating inauspicious things. In ancient China, bixie images were also used to decorate silk fabrics, flags, and articles like belt hooks, seal knobs, and bell knobs. A record about carriages decorated with bixie can be found in the ancient book Bo Gu Tu (Catalogue of Ancient Antiquities). Besides, bixie stone carvings are commonly seen on both sides of the 'Sacred Ways' leading to mausoleums of the emperors of the Southern Dynasties.
Jade bixie carvings have been found in historic sites and tombs of the Han Dynasty. One of these (Fig. 2) was discovered at the ruins of Wei Mausoleum of Western Han in Xianyang, Shaanxi, in 1966. Adopting the circular carving technique, it is 2.5 cm high and 5.8 cm long, with head high and chest out, eyes straight forward, and the mouth opened to reveal the teeth. There is a horn in the middle of the crown, beard on the jaw, wings on both sides of the belly, and a long tail drooping to the ground. Some of the original crust remains on the surface of the jade.
Fig. 2 Jade bixie unearthed at the ruins of Wei Mausoleum of Western Han in Xianyang, Shaanxi
In 1978, another jade bixie (Fig. 3) was unearthed from an Eastern Han tomb in Baoji, Shaanxi. Being 18.5 cm high and 18 cm long, it is similar in form to the two described above. It carries a cylindrical socket on its back. The socket, the head and the torso are engraved with circles and short parallel lines for decoration.
Fig. 3 Jade bixie unearthed from an Eastern Han tomb in Baoji, Shaanxi
Bixie carvings are also common in front of tombs of the Han Dynasty, the Jin Dynasty, and the Southern and Northern Dynasties. For instance, there are two stone sculptures, one representing a bixie and the other tianlu (Fig. 4), in front of Zong Zi's tomb in Nanyang. Both have a height of 165 cm, though one is 220 cm long and the other is 235 cm long. Made of limestone, they are largely intact and are now preserved in Nanyang Museum of the Han Dynasty Stone Carving. Head high and chest out, neck stretched and mouth opened, either of the stone animals has glaring eyes, prominent bones and veins, wings on the shoulders, and a long tail coiled at the hips. At the lower belly are prominent ribs and a neat array of feathers on the wings. There are needle-like hairs near the front limbs, semicircular string patterns on the chest, and overlapping scales formed by incised lines between the chest and the sharply contracted lower abdomen. The mouths and limbs of the stone animals have been damaged, and either of them has the trace of a long tongue on its chest. Their names, tianlu and bixie, are inscribed on their front limbs. Zong Zi held an official post in the reign of Emperor Huan of Eastern Han and died in 166 AD (the 9th year of Yanxi period). Therefore, the stone animals in front of his tomb must have been made around 166 AD.
Fig. 4 The stone bixie in front of Zong Zi's tomb in Nanyang, Henan
The most representative of the stone bixie in front of mausoleums built by Qi regime during the Southern Dynasties are the ones for Xiu'an Mausoleum of Emperor Jing (Fig. 5), which is located in Xiantang, Huqiao Township, Danyang City, Jiangsu Province today. The one in the west, which is 2.9 meters long and 2.42 meters high, has a long neck, a protruding chest, and a slim and straight waist that make up an S-like overall shape. Head high and mouth opened, it has glaring eyes, a single horn covered with fin patterns atop its crown, and a short and flat nose. There sprouts from the shoulders a pair of complicatedly decorated wings, with a whirlpool pattern in the front connecting to the long feathers in the rear and a six-petal lotus flower carved on the fin-shell pattern. The spine is shaped like a string of beads, with each joint raised. The torso is rather long and the neck tapers slightly toward the top. The contracted belly makes the chest and the hips seem particularly rotund, the tail coils naturally and droops to the base, and the whole body is covered with patterns of entwining vines. The complicated decorations form a salient feature of the sculpture, of which stress is laid on the depiction of how the leg joints move when the animal walks. Largely following the model established during the Eastern Han Dynasty, this bixie accentuates the S-like shape and captures the movement of the body in an exaggerated way.
Fig. 5 The stone bixie in front of Xiu'an Mausoleum of Emperor Jing of Qi during the Southern Dynasties
Stone bixie made by the Liang regime carried on the style established by Southern Qi, with more prominence given to a heroic and majestic air. A typical one is the stone animal (Fig. 6) in front of the tomb of Xiao Jing (Marquis Pingzhong of Wu), which is located in what is now Shanghualin Village east of Yaohuamen in Nanjing. Being 3.5 meters high and 3.8 meters long, the animal has a large and vigorous body, with head raised toward the sky, tongue drooping from the opened mouth, and a stout neck. The curves between the head and the torso are full of tension. The shoulders are also flanked with wings, each having seven tufts of feathers depicted with incised lines. The chest is adorned with curly hairs formed by flowing and graceful incised lines. With a combination of smooth curves and sharper edges, this large and well-shaped stone animal has a majestic and heroic air.
Fig. 6 The stone animal in front of the tomb of Xiao Jing (Marquis Pingzhong of Wu) of the Liang regime
In view of the stone animals in front of mausoleums so far discovered, the times-related variations in form reflect different designing systems and origins. Anyway, however, such stone animals are precious and distinguished treasures in the Chinese art of sculpture. They reflect the ethos of their times and embody Chinese people's practical wishes and aesthetic creativity. Their features in shape and carving techniques have had a profound impact on sculptures of later times. It is true, of course, that their differences in form and size were closely related to the tomb occupants' social status and the regions in which they were buried. Reflecting the cultural background of their times, they function as cultural symbols and carry plenty of cultural meanings.
Why is it that some bixie have wings and some do not?
Your answer please, if you have any questions or answer, please feel free to send us email, we are waiting for your answers and participation, and your comments, answers and suggestions will be highly appreciated. We will select and publicize the most appropriate answers and comments some time in the future.
Weekly Selection Email: meizhouyipin@chnmus.net
The Eastern Han stone bixie discovered at Yulin, Xuchang (Fig.1) was carved out of an entire chunk of stone. It is in a standing posture, head high and chest out, with glaring eyes and an open mouth. It has two ears, prominent cheeks, a contracted belly, and bulging muscles on the legs. The four limbs and the tail rest on a rectangular base, with the tail hanging down to support the body. The overall form is powerful and majestic.
Fig. 1 The front of the stone bixie
Of all the bixie carvings so far discovered, the oldest is made in the period from the reign of Emperor An to that of Emperor Huan in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. Their overall shape is like the letter “S” or “L”. Most of them have no horns and have their tongues hidden in their mouths. Some have wings while others do not; the wings, if existent, typically have their feathers grouped into three or four tufts and are spread backward in a flat and straight manner. The chest is usually thrust out.
The overall form and detailed structure of the stone bixie unearthed at Yulin, Xuchang, give a sense of neatness, roughness, simplicity and vigor. Circular carving is the main technique used, which is supplemented with relief and line carving to some extent. With a seamless combination of dots, lines and surfaces, the overall image is dignified, energetic, and full of tension and visual impact--a perfect representation of an awe-inspiring and powerful tomb guardian.
This stone bixie, which dates from the Eastern Han Dynasty, is 150 cm long and 130 cm high, unearthed at Yulin in Xuchang City, Henan Province, in 1978.
