Xiezhi - a Mythological Animal (XieZhi)

The Holy Way of the Ming Tombs of Beijing is franked with 12 stone men and 24 stone animals. Among them are four statues of xiezhi, an animal in Chinese mythology credited with the ability to distinguish between right and wrong, and between virtue and evil.

Legend has it that xiezhi is a divine goat which, upon seeing a quarrel or fight, would reach out its horn to touch the side which is wrong. It is so upright that it never compromises its principle even if the wrong side is an emperor. According to the "Records of Court Attire" in the Book of Late Han, "The Hat of Law is made for those enforcing the state law... It is also known as Xiezhi Hat to symbolize justice." The Qing rule or court attire stipulated that the robes worn by royal scribes, surveillance commissioners and low superintendents should be embroidered with the pattern of xiezhi as an emblem of their duties. In his autobiography, Pu Yi, the last Qing emperor, also mentioned xiezhi by saying that the emperor had a statue of the mythological goat in front of his desk to remind himself that he should be fair and strict in handling state and political affairs.