Shang Chi Mythology and Creatures Explained

I finally watched Marvel’s Shang Chi and the Ten Rings, and it was nice to see the representation included in this movie and a great addition to the MCU. I had some gripes with it but then that’s for another issue. Today on Pub Convos, let’s talk about some of the creatures and legends in the movie that might not be obvious to non-Chinese audiences. SPOILER ALERT!!!

The Stone Lions 石狮:

• The lions in the movie who help defend the village of Ta Lo are inspired by stone guardian lions.

• These stone guardian lions are normally placed outside of palaces, temples, and tombs to signify protection.

• As shown in the picture, these lions tend to come in pairs of one female and one male.

• The male normally has a ball under its paw which signifies power, and the protection of material matters while the female tends to have a cub under its paw signifying the cycle of life and the protection of the inner soul.

• This reflects the Buddhist philosophy of yin and yang and the balance of the world.

Qilin 麒麟:

• Next, we have the bearded horse-like creature that Shang Chi encounters when they first drive into Ta Lo.

• This grand creature is called a Qilin. They are often depicted as having Chinese dragon-like features but on a horse/deer body. 

• They are also often depicted with beards and are multicoloured.

• It is believed that they are signs of good luck, wisdom, and prosperity.

• A modern depiction of the Qilin is on the branding of popular Japanese beer company Kirin. Kirin being the Japanese equivalent of Qilin.

The Great Protector 龙王:

• Now this next one is an opinion by me that the dragon in the film is inspired by The Dragon Kings of the Four Seas.

• Dragons are mythical and are often considered as a manifestation of gods. They are well depicted in Ancient Chinese epics such as Journey to the West and the Investiture of the Gods

• The Dragon King is a sea god much like Poseidon in Greek mythology and can be viewed equally in terms of significance and powers.

• The Great Protector also reminds me of Jormungandr, the world serpent which encircles the world in Norse Mythology. 

With the rise of popularity in Greek and Norse mythology in popular culture. Maybe it's time that we give East Asian mythology and folklore a stage and discover the wonders that they might contain.

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• Check out Issue #28 of What’s Up Wednesday where we talked about China’s Digital Yuan 🧧

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This series is brought to you by Adrian Fok (@adfok15). He will be writing about fascinating stuff that will help you to have a more insightful conversation in pubs or mamaks.