She Ethnical Group
Once upon a time long, long ago, Emperor Gaoxin went travelling at his leisure through the fields. The Empress suffered three years from an itchy ear from which issued a three-inch golden worm. The worm became a dragon-dog twelve feet long, its fine coat of fur splotched with black and white. Its eyes shone like lychee stones! Tempering itself under the golden bell, it hoped to be human in seven day's time. Lifting the bell after only six, the empress found a human with a beast's head.
The above poem is actually an extract from the Song of Emperor Gaoxin, also known as the Song of Panhu, and is very popular among the She, one of China's minority peoples. The She live in seclusion in Fujian's remote mountain areas. One of the most interesting things about them is that they keep their ancestral pictures secret, hiding them away from outsiders like great treasures. Apparently these pictures show that the ancestors of the She people looked like dragons, unicorns or, as some say, more like dogs.
Source: travelchinaguide.com
Editor: Wang Moyan
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