The Zhu Que（朱雀），the Vermilion Bird, is a southern god-beast. The south is fire, and bird totems such as the Vermilion Bird often belonged to sun worship in ancient mythology.
Zhu Que，the Vermilion Bird, is one of the Four Celestial Spirits in ancient Chinese mythology, originating from the ancient worship of constellations.
It represents Emperor Yan and the seven southern constellations, the element of fire in the Five Elements, and symbolizes the old yang in the Four Symbols and summer in the Four Seasons.
The Zhu Que is depicted as a red bird with colorful and radiant feathers.
It holds a significant place in ancient Chinese culture, symbolizing good fortune, happiness, prosperity, and wealth.
The origin of the Zhu Que can be traced back to the oracle bone inscriptions of the early Yin and Shang dynasties, where images of the Four Celestial Spirits, including the Zhu Que, already existed.
In the Han Dynasty, the Zhu Que was absorbed into Taoism as a protective deity.
Many people today confuse it with the Feng Huang (the Phoenix), but in reality, there are significant differences between the Zhu Que and the Feng Huang.
Research has shown that the image of the Feng Huang has mostly evolved from the Zhu Que.