Antique sculpture "Qilin". Made of bronze. The image of the dragon closely matches the description given in the ancient Chinese dictionary "Shouwen": "The dragon has deer horns, a camel's head, rabbit's eyes, bull's ears, a snake's neck, carp scales...". China, 20th century.

Qilin (or Qi Lin) is considered one of the auspicious magical animals of the Celestial Empire. The male unicorn is called Qi, and the female Lin, so together this creature serves as a kind of animal combination of "Yin-Yang". In Chinese mythology, Qilin is the main one of the 360 ​​animals living on land. It is believed that Qilin is able to dispel evil, protect the home and bring good luck at work.