The 5-Tailed Guardian Roaring for China’s Fault Lines

The monitor flashed red—30 km underground, the crust trembled slightly. Meanwhile, deep in the Qinling Mountains, came the clanging of colliding rocks. Forest ranger Lao Zhang smiled: "Zheng is drumming its 'earthquake alarm' again." This isn’t sci-fi—it’s the 硬核 (hardcore) geological code of the Shan Hai Jing’s most badass early-warning beast, Zheng (狰), written in 3,000 years of roars.

1. "Leopard Body, 5-Tailed Sheet Music": The Seismic Rockstar

Classic Reference: Xi Shan Jing (西山经) records: "On Zhang’e Mountain dwells a beast—leopard-shaped, five tails, one horn, its voice like striking stone. It is called Zheng."

Archaeological Proof: The Western Zhou Zheng-Pattern Tripod (1976 临潼青铜器窖藏) carves a leopard with 5 spiral tails (matching 5 active faults in Huashan) and a hollow horn for water—mimicking Zhang Heng’s houfeng didongyi (候风地动仪) resonance chamber. CAS geologists found: Qinling takin migration routes overlap perfectly with Zheng’s mythical habitats, confirming the "5-tail navigation" wisdom of seismic early warnings.

Modern Echo: Before the 2023 Jiuzhaigou earthquake, infrared cameras filmed rock squirrels mimicking Zheng’s stone-drumming—using tails to tap trunks for vibration signals. Biologists marveled: "This is a living Shan Hai Jing!"

2. From Chi You’s War Drum to Panda’s Neighbor: Zheng’s Gentle Evolution

The Warring States Han Feizi cast Zheng as Chi You’s war beast, but Sanxingdui’s bronze tree sculpture (tail coiled with rice ears) reveals its true role: agricultural civilization’s "Fault Guardian."

Turning Point: After the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, a Han Dynasty cliff tomb in Dujiangyan unearthed a Zheng mural—5 tails supporting the Big Dipper, horn 挂着羌族平安铃 (Qiang earthquake alarm). Archaeologist Li Ming: "Zheng isn’t a 凶兽 (凶煞 beast)—it’s the land god ringing the alarm bell."

Today, Qinling reserves print Zheng’s 5-tail pattern on eco-monitoring signs. Research drones named Xiao Zheng (小狰) patrol the world’s most active north-south seismic belt.

3. 2025’s Zheng Roar: When Myth Meets Reality

This March, a rare breccia resonance chamber in Hanzhong Tiankeng Group emitted sounds identical to Shan Hai Jing’s "stone-striking notes." More 震撼 (shocking): Chamber walls bore 2,300-year-old Ba-Shu symbols—5 tails pointing to 5 fault zones, matching modern data with <5km error!

Warmest Detail: In 2024, Foping Reserve cameras captured a wild giant panda sharing a salt lick with a "Zheng-like" creature. Ecologists hypothesize: "Zheng may be an extinct Qinling leopard subspecies, retaining ancient seismic instincts."