This phoenix carving from the mid-Hongshan period is distinguished from traditional dragon figures by its clearly defined beak.
With its spread wings and prominent beak, the sculpture visually embodies the mythical phoenix, a creature long associated with the heavens, the sun, and royal authority in ancient Chinese cosmology.
This artifact serves as a representative example of Hongshan culture’s symbolic imagination, reflecting a rich intersection of mythology, ritual, and early artistic expression.
