Tianma


Tianma was a winged flying horse in Chinese folklore. It was sometimes depicted as a chimerical features such as dragon scales, and was at times attributed the ability to sweat blood- possibly inspired by the parasite Parafilaria multipapillosa, which infected the highly sought-after Ferghana horsees 大宛馬 sometimes conflated with Tianma.
In the Western Zhou Empire, Tianma referred to a constellation. Tianma is also associated with the Han dynasty emperor Wudi, an aficionado of the Central Asian horse. and the famous poet Li Bo. The bronze statue, Gansu Flying Horse, is a well-known example.