Agate or Manao Rare Dragon Vase Handmade Carving From China

SIZE: H: 12 in X W: 8 in X D: 4 in.
IT WILL BE DELIVERED BY UPS GROUND TO THE U.S CONTINENTAL

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A qilin, also spelled kylin ( pinyin: qi2 lin2; Cantonese: kay-lun; Hokkien: kee lin), is a mythical hooved Chinese creature that is said to appear in conjunction with the arrival of a sage. It is a good omen that brings Rui4 ( roughly translated to 'serenity' and 'prosperity'). It is often depicted with what looks like fire all over its body. It is also known as a kirin in Japan.

The nature of the beast
image Although it looks fearsome, the qilin only punishes the sinners. It can walk on grass and yet not trample the blades and it can also walk on water. Being a peaceful creature, its diet does not include flesh.
Variations

There are variations in the appearance of the qilin, even as seen in a single country such as China, owing to cultural differences between dynasties.
Ming dynasty examples
image In the Ming dynasty of China (1368-1644) the qilin is represented as an oxen-hooved animal with a lion-like head surmounted by a single horn and unremarkable skin, appearing plausible as a representation of a real animal.
This Ming qilin in this configuration is sometimes referred to as the "Chinese unicorn" due to its superficial similarity to the Western unicorn, in that it too is an imaginary hooved beast with a single horn on its head.
In close proximity to the single-horned example can be found a similar beast with the head of a dragon surmounted by a pair of antlers and possessing fish-like skin, closer in appearance to the qilin of later dynasties and to the kirin of Japan.

A Qing dynasty example
The qilin of China's subsequent Manchurian dominated Qing dynasty (1644-1911) is a much more fanciful animal. Manchurian depictions of the qilin depict a creature with the head of a dragon, the antlers of a deer, the skin and scales of a fish, the hooves of an ox and tail of a lion.
In Japan
In Japanese, the qilin is called a kirin. Japanese art tends to depict the qilin as more deer-like than in Chinese art. The word kirin has come to be used in modern Japanese for a giraffe.
Interestingly, in the Chinese hierarchy of mythological animals, the qilin is ranked as the second-most powerful creature after the dragon, but in Japan, the kirin occupies the top spot.