China: A giraffe brought to the court of the Ming Emperor Yongle (r.1402-24) from East Africa by the fleet of Admiral Zheng He (1371–1435). Drawing with poem by Shen Du (1357-1434)

Shen Du's poem:

In the corner of the western seas, in the stagnant waters of a great morass, Truly was produced a qilin, whose shape was as high as fifteen feet. With the body of a deer and the tail of an ox, and a fleshy, boneless horn, With luminous spots like a red cloud or purple mist. Its hoofs do not tread on living beings and in its wanderings it carefully selects its ground.

It walks in stately fashion and in its every motion it observes a rhythm, Its harmonious voice sounds like a bell or a musical tube. Gentle is this animal, that has in antiquity been seen but once, The manifestation of its divine spirit rises up to heaven’s abode.

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Supplier: CPA Media Co. Ltd.

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Pictures From History