The Qilin from Africa
In 1414 a giraffe arrived at the Chinese imperial court, and was greeted as a qilin, a sacred creature of good omen.
What was reported
In 1414, in the time of Admiral Zheng He's great voyages, a giraffe was brought to China as a gift from the ruler of Bengal, who had received it from Malindi on the East African coast. It was presented to the Yongle Emperor.
Officials hailed it as a qilin, a gentle creature of Chinese myth whose appearance signalled a wise and virtuous ruler. A court painting and a poem recorded the event, and another giraffe later came from Malindi itself.
Explanations offered
The giraffe's mild nature and skin-covered horns fitted descriptions of the qilin, and a Somali word for giraffe may have sounded similar. The emperor publicly played down the omen, but the giraffe became a celebrated symbol of his reign.
- When
- 1414
- Where
- Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
- Witnesses
- The Ming imperial court
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.