Ancient Legends and Their Mythical Beasts
The Origin of Zheng
Zheng is a mythical creature from ancient Chinese legends. As described in the "Shan Hai Jing" (Classic of Mountains and Seas), it is said: “On Mount Zhang'e, there is no grass or trees, only jade and beryl. It is quite peculiar. There is a beast there, resembling a red leopard, with five tails and one horn, and its sound is like the sound of stones being struck; its name is Zheng.” This implies there is a mountain in China called Mount Zhang'e, which is completely barren, devoid of vegetation and instead covered in jade. On this mountain resides a peculiar beast named Zheng, which looks like a leopard but has a single horn on its head and five tails, and it makes a sound similar to stones being struck when it calls out.
Zheng is also referred to as the Zheng Beast, named after the stone-like sound it produces. This ancient divine beast is entirely red, agile like a leopard, with five tails and a sharp horn on its head, and is impervious to harm.
Originally, Zheng was a malicious beast bringing chaos to the human realm. However, the Candle Dragon stumbled upon Zheng and subdued it. From that moment, Zheng followed the Candle Dragon, residing with it on Zhongshan Mountain. The Candle Dragon is a huge creature, while Zheng circled around it, cleaning up and acting as a humble servant.
Zheng remained by the Candle Dragon's side for a long time, and under the Candle Dragon's influence, its violent nature began to diminish. It was only after the Candle Dragon disappeared that Zheng ventured out from Zhongshan Mountain, searching for its master. Although Zheng never found its master over the years, it helped many people and became known as an auspicious beast.
During its time on Zhongshan, Zheng developed a habit of tidying up after the Candle Dragon—a habit it just couldn't shake. When Zheng entered the human world, it still found it difficult to abandon this habit. If a household was plagued by negative spirits, Zheng would instinctively clean up to dispel the negative energy. Initially, people were frightened by Zheng's intimidating appearance and kept their distance, but eventually they realized that Zheng was merely trying to rid them of impurities, and eventually came to view it as a heavenly messenger.
Perhaps Zheng's cleaning habit was unintentional, but it became revered in stories as an auspicious creature capable of warding off evil and ensuring safety.
Records of Zheng in Ancient Texts
“Above Huashan, there is a mountain called Qianlai, which has many pines, and below it, many washing stones.” (Shan Hai Jing, Classic of Mountains and Seas, Western Mountains) “Two hundred and eighty miles to the west, there is Mount Zhang'e, which has no grass or trees, only jade and beryl. It is quite peculiar. There is a beast there, resembling a red leopard, with five tails and one horn, and its sound is like the sound of stones being struck; its name is ‘Zheng’.” (Shan Hai Jing, Classic of Mountains and Seas, Western Third Classics)
“When the Four Sovereigns moved, the heavens sent down a red heart. They subdued the four beasts of the world, and among them was ‘Zheng’. ‘Zheng’ is an ancient wild divine beast, emerging from Zhongshan, breathing the breath of the Candle Dragon, its form resembling that of the sun, with tail feathers, wings at its waist, four horns on its head, glazed eyes, red skin, and black patterns. It lies quietly in the mountains, striking stones, hence the name ‘Zheng’.”