There is a long history behind the use of the bear as a totem. It was said that the Chinese myth of “Shan Hai ching,” which was deeply loved and praised by Lu Xun, a famous Chinese writer, was written for the Chu people of the Warring States Period. The story begins with a high mountain, called the Bear Mountain. There were many caves in the mountain, where bears lived and the immortals always went there to play with bears. In the summer, the doors of the caves were open, while in winter, the doors of the caves were closed. If the doors of the caves were open in the winter, turmoil and disaster would occur. Therefore, there was some relation between the bear and divinity that could decide the wealth or woe of the common people.
Although it was a myth, people in ancient times believed it, and the bear totem commanded great respect at that time.
The people of the the Han Dynasty continued the folk customs of the Chu dynasty. Therefore, it is certain that the people of the the Han Dynasty loved and respected the bear. Many cultural relics of the the Han Dynasty excavated from tombs like Zeng Hongji and Ma Wangdui involved images of bears. Most of the artistic works delineated a bear’s shape extremely vividly and nicely.
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