The Divine Goats of Qingyang Palace
In Qingyang Palace of Chengdu stand two bronze goats. The one on the right, with two horns, was cast in the ninth year of the Daoguang reign. The single-horned goat on the left bears an inscription stating it was relocated from the capital to Qingyang Palace in Chengdu on the fifteenth day of the ninth lunar month in the first year of the Yongzheng reign, to restore and supplement the relics of Laozi.
This single-horned bronze goat features composite mythical features: ears of a rat, nose of an ox, claws of a tiger, back of a rabbit, horn of a dragon, tail of a snake, mouth of a horse, whiskers of a sheep, neck of a monkey, eyes of a rooster, belly of a dog, and hips of a pig. Legend holds that rubbing the corresponding part of the bronze goat can heal ailments on one’s own body.
Qingyang Palace
Excerpted from Poetry Manuscripts of Three Pagoda Study
Qingyang Palace is situated in the southwestern outskirts of Chengdu. It is the sacred site where Lord Dao disseminated his teachings, and now many Taoist priests reside and cultivate immortality here. Inside the palace stands a statue of Laozi riding an ox crossing the frontier pass, which would justify the name "Green Ox Palace". However, it is widely known as Qingyang Palace for housing a bronze goat.
This goat has a single horn, embodying the symbolic meaning of the divine goat that wards off evil spirits. Five characters—Treasure of Hidden Plum Pavilion—are engraved on its belly. The calligraphy bears no great antiquity, yet the bronze body is dark and patinated. It remains uncertain whether it was an artifact from the ancient Shu royal palace.
In the late Ming Dynasty, the rebel leader Zhang Xianzhong proclaimed himself ruler in Chengdu. He established an imperial examination to recruit scholars, luring candidates to the city with a tael of gold for each person, only to slaughter them all. Two large mounds lie within the palace today, shaded by dense bamboos and trees, each topped with a Buddhist temple. The place exudes a gloomy and somber aura, and legend claims countless corpses are buried beneath these mounds.