Xingtian (, also Hsing T'ien) is a Chinese deity who fights against the Supreme Divinity, not giving up even after the event of his decapitation. Losing the fight for supremacy, he was beheaded and his head buried in Changyang Mountain. Nevertheless, headless, with a shield in one hand and a battle axe in the other, he continues the fight, using his nipples as eyes and his bellybutton as a mouth.Yang, 217

Description

Xingtian was an official under Yandi. Yandi fought against Huangdi for the position of supreme god, but he lost the conflict. Xingtian still continued the fight after Yandi's defeat, but was defeated and decapitated by Huangdi. Eventually, he regenerated himself and continued his defiance, which was expressed by a martial dance.Strassberg, 171.

Literature

Xingtian appears in chapter 7 of the ''

Classic of Mountains and Seas The ''Classic of Mountains and Seas'', also known as ''Shanhai jing'' (), formerly romanized as the ''Shan-hai Ching'', is a Chinese classic text and a compilation of mythic geography and beasts. Early versions of the text may have existed si ...

'', which states that he fought and lost against the supreme god to become the supreme divinity. The god decapitated Xingtian and buried his head on Changyang Mountain. However, Xingtian persevered, using his nipples as his eyes, using his navel as his mouth, and brandishing his shield and axe. The ''Shanhaijing'' states the following: In Luo Mi's '' Lushi'' from the

Southern Song The Song dynasty ( ) was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Ten Kingdoms, ending ...

period, Xingtian is described as a minister of the

Yan Emperor The Yan Emperor () or the Flame Emperor was a legendary ancient Chinese emperor in pre-dynastic times. Some modern Chinese scholars have identified the Sheep's Head Mountains (''Yángtóu Shān'') Weibin District, Baoji as his homeland and terri ...

, who composed music for farmers for plowing and harvesting. In the ''

Huainanzi The ''Huainanzi'' is an ancient Chinese text made up of essays from scholarly debates held at the court of Liu An, Prince of Huainan, before 139 BCE. Compiled as a handbook for an enlightened sovereign and his court, the work attempts to defi ...

'', Xingtian is called the corpse of Xingcan (). The scholar

Guo Pu Guo Pu (; AD 276–324), courtesy name Jingchun (), was a Chinese historian, poet, and writer during the Eastern Jin period, and is best known as one of China's foremost commentators on ancient texts. Guo was a Taoist mystic, geomancer, collec ...

celebrated Xingtian's defiant spirit in an encomium. He mentions the similarity between Xingtian and the corpse of Geng of the Xia, since they were both characters who regenerated and continued their resistance.Strassberg, 218. The poet Tao Qian also celebrated Xingtian's spirit in his ''Thirteen Poems upon Reading the Guideways through Mountains and Seas'', where he made an association between Jingwei and Xingtian in their persistence to overcome tragedies but also mentions their inability to be free from it:Strassberg, 18 & 171.

Symbolism

Xingtian symbolizes the indomitable spirit which maintains the will to resist no matter what tribulations one may undergo or what troubles one may encounter.Yang, 127–128 As such, Xingtian has been lauded in poetry and prose.

In popular culture

*In Smite, Xing Tian is a playable character. *In Shaman King: Red Crimson, Xing Tian (Keiten) is the spirit ally of Dong Honhon.

Notes

References

Bibliography

* Yang, Lihui, ''et al.'' (2005). ''Handbook of Chinese Mythology''. New York: Oxford University Press. *Strassberg, Richard (2002). ''A Chinese Bestiary: Strange Creatures from the Guideways Through Mountains and Seas.'' University of California Press. {{Chinese mythology Chinese gods Chinese giants Pre-Xia Chinese people Mythical headless creatures Classic of Mountains and Seas