" The Chinese unicorn ws called Ch'i- lin, Ky-lin, or K'i-lin, and ws very different in appearance from the european unicorn. This oriental creatre had the head of a dragon, the tail of an ox, and a stags body, It's skin was red, yellow, blue, white and black. These colors symbolized the Ch'i-linss magickal connection with the five elements: fire, water, wood, metal, and earth. They said this creature wa sno larger than a goat but was fierce and had great strength. When it made a noise, it sounded like bells. Chinese legend says this Unircorn lived for a thousand years and came to China from a far place. The Chinese considered it to be the noblest of animals and did not hunt it, as did the western cultures. As later emblem of high birth and good character, it became a symbol of high ranking army officers. There re many surviving pictures or statues of chinese unicorns. While the written description of the Ch'i-lin is fairly consistent, artistic portrayls vary. One chinese ink on paper picture is of a type of one horned Ch'i-lin with a lion-like boy and legs, no hooves, a single horn, and upward standing, feathery, flame-like man around it's head. Sometimes it was shown with two horns. One of these drawings, from the late Ch'ing Dynasty in Chine, shows a creature with two branched horns, an elaborate beard, hooves, and a feather-like scales covering it's body and legs. A cloisonne figure depicts the Ch'i-lin with two branched horns, a curled beard, a thin tail with a fluffly end, and a small antelope-like body. In both Chin and Japan, the male was called the K'i, or Ch'i, the female the lin, or rin. To correctly speak of the species, one would say the Ch'i-lin . It was known as the most perfect of all the land animals. Ancient Chinese Mythology tells that P'an Ku, the first man took centuries to create the order of the universe out of the original state of chaos. Four special animals--- The Dragon, tortoise, Phoenix, and the Ch'i-lin--- helped him in his task. These were consideredfortunate animals. When P'an Ku died, his body became the worldand these creatures were free to seek their own places. The Dragon went into the seas, the tortoise the swamps, and the Phoenise the dry land. The Ch'i-lin ran into the green forests where it only revealed itself to humans on special occasions. Although the territories of these animals are described in human terms, the chinese say that they inhabit hidden realms where their special powers will not be diminished by contact with humans. There are only two reasons for the Ch'i-lin to reveal itself. As as prophetic creature, it will appear in the forest to an observer when times are peaceful and prosperous under the rule of a good leader. It will also appear when a good leader is about to die. The emperor Fu Hsi saw a Ch'i-lin around 280 B.C.E. as he sat beside the Yellow River. He wrote that the Ch'i-lin looked like a calf but had gleaming scales like a dragon. On it's forehead was a silvery horn. On it's back were magickal signs; Fu Hsi carefully copied them down. With these signs and his knowledge of the movement of the stars , he created the first written Chinese language. As the Ch'i-lin walked through the muddy water, the river became like clear green glass. the creature came to stand in front of the emperor, stamped it's hoof three times of a rock, and cried out in a voice like a monastery bell. The Ch'i-lin was also seen by a later emperor, Huang Ti, as his death neared. A Few of his successors also caught a glimpse of this creature. A younge woman named Ching-tsae saw this creature 2000 years later while she worshipped in an ancient temple. Te Ch'i-lin gave her a piece of green Jade and prophesied that she would bear a son who would become a great but thronless king. She later became the moth of Kung Fu Sze, or Confucius. It was also said that the Unicorn reappeared when Confucious died. Wu Ti, an emperor of the Han Dynasty, 400 years after Confucious, caught a brief glimpse of a pure white Ch'i-lin on his palace grounds. he was so excited by this short encounter that he built a special pogoda to honor the creature and in hopes that it would return. However, he never saw it again. The Chinese say that the Ch'i-lin no longer appears because there is no virtue in China's leaders anymore. However, they still use the saying" May the Unicorn's hoof bring you good luck." - Pages 23 throgh 24 of Magickall Mystical Creatures by D.J. Conway. this is NOT your traditional looking Ch'i-lin, actually it's nothing what it looks like, i just wanted to take the description, and a few drawn ideas and make my own. Hope you enjoy!