Fei Fei | The Classic of Mountains and Seas

39th Illustration of 山海经 (The Classic of Mountains and Seas) - 朏朏 (Fěi Fěi)
🙀According to 《山海经·中山经》 "The Classic of the Central Mountains": Forty li further north lies 霍山 (Huò Mount), where many trees and grains grow. Here lived a beast resembling a wildcat, with a white tail and mane, named 朏朏 (Fěi Fěi). Keeping it can relieve sorrow.
🙀In ancient legends, Fei Fei is depicted as a divine beast capable of eliminating disease and misfortune. Other sources describe Fei Fei as having a long tail with black markings and crescent-shaped eyes, and being very gentle and never biting. It is said that carrying a Fei Fei with you will ensure peace and health. Therefore, many people longed to find this mythical beast and keep it by their side.
🙀The Song Dynasty scholar 汪若海 (Wāng Ruòhǎi) wrote in his book 《麟书》"Lín Shū": "How can I obtain a Fei Fei to play with, so as to relieve my worries?" This shows that in ancient times, Fei Fei was regarded as a pet that could be tamed to relieve depression. It could arguably be considered the earliest pet of ancient people, even predating domestic animals like cats and dogs.
🙀The Classic of Mountains and Seas does not explicitly define "domestic cat" in the modern sense, but it records various mythical beasts and strange creatures that are extremely similar to cats in appearance or habits, such as the 类 (Lèi) which resembles a cat, the 讙 (Huān), a one-eyed creature that can ward off evil spirits, and Fei Fei which can bring good luck. The ancients often referred to felines as 狸 (Lí).
🙀In modern times, Fei Fei's image has been widely disseminated and reinterpreted in modern cultural works and has become a popular character in several games and anime. It is usually interpreted as having a cat-like figure and erect ears in various colors.