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Was the Chinese Phoenix actually an Ostrich ?
By Chris Devonshire-Ellis
Recent ornithological and archeological evidence has demonstrated that China once possessed, in Xinjiang Province, its very own species of Ostrich – (Struthio asiaticus), and that this long extinct bird may be the source of the legend of the Phoenix. The Asian Ostrich is known to have become extinct after the end of the last ice age. Images of ostriches have been found in Xinjiang and elsewhere in China on prehistoric pottery and, as petroglyphs indicate, they were around at the same time as early humans in ancient China.
A common depiction of the Phoenix has it attacking snakes with its talons and with its wings spread. According to legend, the Chinese Phoenix, or Fenghuang (凤凰) was said to be made up of the beak of a rooster, the face of a swallow, the forehead of a fowl, the neck of a snake, the breast of a goose, the back of a tortoise, the hindquarters of a stag and the tail of a fish. From a distance, that combination of appearances would very much seem to suggest an Ostrich – especially the hindquarters of a stag, and the neck of a snake. Ostriches also kill and eat snakes, and do tend to spread their wings, especially when being aggressive or during courtship displays.
Images of an ancient, unknown bird have appeared in China for over 7,000 years, the earliest as Shang Dynasty pottery motifs, then appearing as decorated bronzes, as well as jade figurines (many of the most beautiful from the Liao Period). Some believe they may have been a good-luck totem. That this bird was well-known to the early modern humans in Asia, noted for its peculiarity, and hunted for food, is attested by numerous archaeological finds, such as pottery decorated with what appear to be painted ostriches, and bones by early campsites, indicating that it was hunted at the time. It is known that the Ostrich’s range used to extend from North Africa, across the Middle East and into Central Asia, although the Asian Ostrich would probably have been slightly smaller. The old description of a Phoenix again, “with a back of a tortoise” would seem to indicate its back feathers were however distinguishable as being darker, just as in the Ostrich of today.
The Middle Eastern Ostrich, sometimes known as the “Arabian Ostrich”, (Struthio camelus syriacus)
Syrian painting of the Arabian Ostrich, from the “Book of Animals of Al-Jahiz”, 14th century.
only became extinct in 1966, and is probably as close as we are going to get to how the Asian Ostrich appeared to the early Chinese. Interestingly, Arabian Ostrich tail feathers were considered superior to the African Ostrich as military and decorative symbols in the times of the Roman Empire, another clue as to the Phoenix description of having a tail like a fish. The Asian Ostrich then likely had an impressive plumed tail itself. However, modern drawings of the Phoenix appear these days to have borrowed the tail from another bird – the Peacock, although it wasn’t originally depicted in this manner. Contemporary paintings of the Chinese Phoenix also tend to mix it up with another, similar creature, the Vermillion Bird, which is often painted red. In fact the Phoenix is a completely different animal altogether – being the King of all Birds – another clue as to its origins as an Ostrich – while the Vermilion Bird is a mythological spirit creature of the Chinese constellations.
However, much of Xinjiang’s area is still way off the beaten track, and undisturbed by man, and you never know – if you see a large, snake necked bird, running across the Taklimikan Desert at high speed during sunset ….you might just have seen a Chinese Phoenix for real.
Sculpture of a Chinese Phoenix, Nanning, Guangxi Province, 20th century.
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Unraveling the legend of the phoenix is trickier than it might seem. The fabled bird is so thoroughly entwined in our culture that most people have heard of it, but no one seems to know much about it—“Oh, yeah, it’s that bird that burns up and rises from the ashes, like in the Harry Potter books.”
Fenghuang are mythological birds of East Asia that reign over all other birds. The males are called Feng and the females Huang. In modern times, however, such a distinction of gender is often no longer made and the Feng and Huang are blurred into a single feminine entity so that the bird can be paired with the Chinese dragon, which has male connotations.
A phoenix is a mythical bird with a tail of beautiful gold and scarlet plumage (or purple and blue, by some sources). It has a 500 to 1,000 year life-cycle, near the end of which it builds itself a nest of myrrh twigs that then ignites; both nest and bird burn fiercely and are reduced to ashes, from which a new, young phoenix or phoenix egg arises, reborn anew to live again.
“A mythical bird that never dies, the phoenix flies far ahead to the front, always scanning the landscape and distant space. It represents our capacity for vision, for collecting sensory information about our environment and the events unfolding within it. The phoenix, with its great beauty, creates intense excitement and deathless inspiration.” – The Feng Shui Handbook, feng shui Master Lam Kam Chuen
The dragon and the phoenix are the principal motifs for decorative designs on the buildings, clothing and articles of daily use in the imperial palace. The throne hall is supported by columns entwined by gilded dragons, the central ramps on marble steps were paved with huge slabs carved in relief with the dragon and phoenix, and the screen walls display dragons in brilliant colours (see the Nine-Dragon Screen in Beihai Park).
The Asian Ostrich was found in the Pliocene from Central Asia to China. In China, ostriches are known to have become extinct only around or even after the end of the last ice age; images of ostriches have been found there on prehistoric potter…
which was common in prehistoric China but became extinct several thousand years ago. That this bird was well-known to the early modern humans in Asia, noted for its peculiarity, and hunted for food, is attested by numerous archaeological finds, such as pottery decorated with what appear to be painted ostriches, and bones by early campsites.
Fenghuang are mythological Chinese birds that reign over all other birds. The males are called Feng and the females Huang. In modern times, however, such a distinction of gender is often no longer made and the Feng and Huang are blurred into a single feminine entity so that the bird can be paired with the Chinese dragon, which has male connotations. The Fenghuang is also called the “August Rooster” (zh-tp|t=鶤雞|p=kūnjī) since it sometimes takes the place of the Rooster in the Chinese Zodiac. In the West, it is commonly referred to as the Chinese phoenix.
The dragon and the phoenix are the principal motifs for decorative designs on the buildings, clothing and articles of daily use in the imperial palace.
Its body symbolizes the six celestial bodies. The head is the sky, the eyes are the sun, the back is the moon, the wings are the wind, the feet are the earth, and the tail are the planets. Its feathers contain the five fundamental colors: black, white, red, blue and yellow. It is also sometimes depicted as having three legs.
In Chinese mythology, an immortal bird whose auspicious rare appearances portend world harmony, particularly upon the ascent to the throne of a new ruler. Considered to embody both male and female elements, the fenghuang in later descriptions is often considered the female counterpart of the male dragon and, as such, symbolizes the female portion of the yin-yang principle, notably with respect to marital harmony. Legend tells of its appearance before the death of the Yellow Emperor (Huangdi) in the 3rd millennium BC.
Maybe we were a little bit slept.
Beautiful, glorious and sacrificing self for renewal,
you build a pyre and set yourself ablaze. For the
sake of self. Red bird of fire you come forth through
your ashes a new bird shedding the old self which no
longer is needful.
I did not knew this its news for me, The ancient phoenix could be the ostrich. Thanks for the information i wil share this with all others
are you trying to take my “wild-life” exams seriously!,nice try huh1 by this article$
Unraveling the legend of the phoenix is trickier than it might seem.
In Chinese mythology, an immortal bird whose auspicious rare appearances portend world harmony, particularly upon the ascent to the throne of a new ruler.
Lovely blog …it is really helpful. I would want to thank the author for writing this article.
hi ostrich is a big mammal…people love to see this…but at the same time it is very dangerous…
Chinese ostrich is a big mammal..people love to see them in zoo only…in open they can be wild and dangerous to human being…
Chinese ostrich is a big mammal..people love to see them in zoo only…in open they can be wild and dangerous to human being…and very funnyto me..
i really like to know about practices prevelent or that were there in different nations. pheonix is a dangerous bird, atleast i believe so. nice post. thanks
The ancient Egyptians linked the myth of the phoenix with the longings for immortality that were so strong in their civilization, and from there its symbolism spread around the Mediterranean world of late antiquity.
The ancient Egyptians linked the myth of the phoenix with the longings for immortality that were so strong in their civilization, and from there its symbolism spread around the Mediterranean world of late antiquity.
Known in Chinese as Fenghuang, the Chinese Phoenix is a mythological bird, that is said to reign over all other winged creatures.
It probably behaved much like the Ostrich of today. It is believed to have gone extinct because of changing climate altering habitat, and overexploitation by humans.
In China, ostriches are known to have become extinct only around or even after the end of the last ice age; images of ostriches have been found there on prehistoric pottery and as petroglyphs indicating that they were around at the same time as humans first reached China.
Fenghuang are mythological Chinese birds that reign over all other birds. The males are called Feng and the females Huang. In modern times, however, such a distinction of gender is often no longer made and the Feng and Huang are blurred into a single feminine entity so that the bird can be paired with the Chinese dragon, which has male connotations
The Asian Ostrich is also thought to be one of the origins for the Chinese phoenix(Fenghuang).Fenghuang seems to have no connection with the phoenix of the Western world,Images of an ancient bird have appeared in China for over 4,000 years.
In China, ostriches are known to have become extinct only around or even after the end of the last ice age; images of ostriches have been found there on prehistoric pottery and as petroglyphs indicating that they were around at the same time as humans first reached China.The Asian Ostrich is also thought to be one of the origins for the Chinese phoenix (Fenghuang)
The Fenghuang is also called the “August Rooster” since it sometimes takes the place of the Rooster in the Chinese Zodiac
Chinese zodiac
The Sheng xiao is 12 animals which are representative of years in some East Asia countries, and the Chinese zodiac is the 12-year cycle of these 12 animals….
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The fabled bird is said to live 500 years or more, and when the old bird is tired, it flies from Arabia to land in Heliopolis, Egypt, the “City of the Sun.” There, it gathers cinnamon twigs and resin to build a nest of spices atop the Temple of the Sun.
Seems Ostrich were from the time of Dinosaurs. They changed there shape with time. I wonder how many other animals also changed like this ?
It probably behaved much like the Ostrich of today. It is believed to have gone extinct because of changing climate altering habitat, and overexploitation by humans.
In modern times, however, such a distinction of gender is often no longer made and the Feng and Huang are blurred into a single feminine entity so that the bird can be paired with the Chinese dragon, which has male connotations.
The Asian Ostrich is also thought to be one of the origins for the Chinese phoenix.It probably behaved much like the Ostrich of today. It is believed to have gone extinct because of changing climate altering habitat, and over exploitation by humans.
Fenghuang are mythological birds of East Asia that reign over all other birds. The males are called Feng and the females Huang. In modern times, however, such a distinction of gender is often no longer made and the Feng and Huang are blurred into a single feminine entity so that the bird can be paired with the Chinese dragon, which has male connotations.
It is a symbol of high virtue and grace. The Fenghuang also symbolizes the union of yin and yang.It appears in peaceful and prosperous times but hides when trouble is near.
The dragon and the phoenix are the principal motifs for decorative designs on the buildings, clothing and articles of daily use in the imperial palace.
I have been wondering this topic…just curious.
Yes, The Asian Ostrich is also thought to be one of the origins for the Chinese phoenix. It probably behaved much like the Ostrich of today. It is believed to have gone extinct because of changing climate.
Ostrich seems to have no connection with the phoenix of the Western world. the Egyptian phoenix is most often considered similar to a heron or eagle and Chinese phoenix to ostrich. But I don’t see any truth in this.
The fabled bird is so thoroughly entwined in our culture that most people have heard of it, but no one seems to know much about it. Maybe some bones or an illustration from an old book may help us to get answer. Free PS3
I am no guru about this and I have never done research on it. But still if you ask me my answer is “NO”. I don’t have material evidence to prove it. Its just my gut feel. Exclusive Products
Go with your gut at all times. Never listen to the pundits and their emphasis on truthiness.
Though the dragon and the phoenix are the principal motifs for decorative designs on the buildings, clothing and articles of daily use in the imperial palace, I don’t believe that the Chinese phoenix is actually an ostrich. [Just my view]. Top5 Most Affordable Hosting
Actually, my research (see below) shows that ostrich survived until at least 9,000 years ago in the Gobi Desert. Neither I, nor my Chinese colleagues have never seen this supposed ostrich pottery. Bones are not found in archaeological contexts (but have been found in Pliocene sediments), but eggshell fragments are. It is not known if ostriches were hunted for food. I would be interested to read the source of this information that is so heavily circulating across the internet.
Janz, L., Elston, R. G., Burr, G. S. “Dating North Asian Surface Assemblages with Ostrich Eggshell: Implications for Palaeoecology and Extirpation,” Journal of Archaeological Science (2009), doi:10.1016/j.jas.2009.05.012.
regards,
sam – Tax relief
It could be as i have seen many documentaries about animals on discovery channel.And it shows how the shape,size and eating habits of animals change from time to time.so i think the Chinese phoenix could be the ostrich.But we have to examine further before we come to conclusion that Chinese Phoenix is an Ostrich.
regards,
sam – Tax relief
I always envisioned the Phoenix to be more of a graceful bird worthy of admiration – Ostriches do not fit this description in my opinion.
It could be as many living beings origin has relationship with each other if we look history,only good observation can let us know the truth.
regards,
Dave – Los Angeles DUI Lawyer
It could be as many living beings origin has relationship with each other if we look history,only good observation can let us know the truth.
regards,
Dave – Los Angeles DUI Lawyer
Ostrich is found in Australia and this we are talking about in Asia,how can it be possible.