The Ki’lin originates in the legend of Fu Hsi. As the legend goes, …show more content…
According to Nigg (1995), the Ki’lin was known for appearing occasionally in the courts of emperors. However, when the Middle Kingdom fell into evil ways, the Ki’lin was no longer seen. Then, sometime around the sixth century BC, the Ki’lin appeared again. There was a good, kind, dutiful woman who lived at the base of the sacred mountain Tai Shan. This woman was happy, yet she had one sorrow: she had not provided her husband with a son. Wanting to make one last appeal to the gods, the woman made a pilgrimage to a distant temple on the Tai Shan mountain. On her way there, she came across a Ki’lin. The Ki’lin immediately kneeled before the woman and dropped a jade tablet into her hand, which read “thy son shall be a ruler without a throne” (Nigg 1995:90). The son, this tablet referred to was Confucius: one of the most influential philosophers in the past and present Chinese society. There are still people today who follow his teachings. Confucius was known for his wisdom, even from his earliest days (Nigg 1995). Confucius is one of the most prominent figures in Chinese history, and the Ki’lin is credited for his existence. This example further describes the historical role of the unicorn in Chinese