Year of the Rabbit: Three faces of the Chinese rabbit you may not know
LORD RABBIT
Lord Rabbit, known as Tu'er Ye in Chinese, is an auspicious clay toy for children in Beijing.
With a human body and a rabbit's ears and mouth, Lord Rabbit is actually a deity governing health and medicine, and an alternate version of the jade rabbit.
The legend goes that Beijing once suffered a plague before the Mid-Autumn Festival. The goddess Chang'e dispatched the rabbit to cure the disease. In gratitude, Beijing people made clay figurines to pay homage to the plague dispeller.
The iconic image of Lord Rabbit depicts the creature as a general, wearing a golden helmet and armor, and riding a tiger.
Despite its military air and male title "ye," meaning "lord," some craftspeople argue the deified rabbit was actually a female doctor.
"She borrowed a helmet and armor from a deity in a temple, and dressed like a man to treat patients in the then feudal society," said Shuang Yan, a Lord Rabbit craftsman.
