This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.
The original was posted on /r/ufos by /u/YesSirLaughsALot on 2024-10-28 18:59:06+00:00.
I was always intriguied by UFO sightings in different countries in the past. So I went to look for sightings in China and found some interesting cases. I’ve included the Chinese text so maybe a Chinese person can tell us in the comments whether the translations are correct.
One particularly intriguing account comes from Shen Kuo, a renowned polymath of the Song Dynasty. In his book, “Dream Pool Essays,” Shen Kuo describes a strange celestial object that exhibited unusual behavior. The object was said to have emitted a bright light and moved rapidly across the sky, characteristics that align with modern UFO reports.
During the Chia-yu reign-period [1056–1064] there was a huge “pearl” in Yangchow, seen frequently at night. At first, it appeared out of the marshes in T’ien-ch’ang county; later it moved to Pi-she Lake; finally, it settled at Hsin-k’ai Lake. For more than ten years residents and travelers saw it often. A friend of mine had a retreat by the lake. One night he noticed that the “pearl” was very nearby. At first, it opened its door just slightly. A bright light emerged from its “shell,” like a single ray of golden thread. A moment later the “shell” suddenly opened to about the size of half a mat. Inside there was a white light like silver. The “pearl” was as big as a fist, so bright one could not look at it directly. Shadows cast in the forests for more than ten tricents [one tricent 300 paces] distant were just like those cast by the first rays of sunshine in the morning. In the distance one could see only a red sky, like a forest fire. Quickly the “pearl” sped far off, as if it were flying, floating above the waves, bright and brilliant as sunlight.
嘉祐中，揚州有一珠，甚大，天晦多見。初出於天長縣陂澤中，後 轉入甓社湖，又後乃在新開湖中，凡十餘處，居民行人常常見之。 余友人書齋在湖上，一夜忽見其珠，甚近。初微開其房，光自吻中 出。如橫一金線。俄頃忽張殼，其大如半席，殼中白光如銀，珠大 如拳，爛然不可正視。十餘里間林木皆有影，如初日所照；遠處但 見天赤如野火；倏然遠去，其行如飛；浮於波中，杳杳如日
The phenomenon was observed again in Jinshan Temple, located near Yangchow. This sighting in 1071 was recorded by Su Dongpo (Su Shi), the polymath of the Song Dynasty, and a pre-eminent figure in East Asian literature, art, and culture. He states,
The fire shines in the middle of the lake. The flying fire lights up the mountain and scares a crow. Bewildered, I return home in bed and my mind is puzzled. It’s not a work of man or ghost. What is it?
江心似有炬火明 飛焰照山棲烏驚 悵然歸臥心莫識 非鬼非人竟何物
He further adds in the end that he himself has witnessed the event
(原註: 是夜所見如此)
In 1578 Ming Dynasty, Wanli Emperor (China), records:
A “comet” spins like a wheel and illuminates the sky. Time passes and the light goes out.
明神宗万历五年十二月初三夜，尾星旋转如轮，焰照天，逾时乃灭520
Another fascinating case from China can be found in Annals of Songzi County. Songzi County of Hubei Province records a strange story of a local farmer in Xiyanzui on May 8, 1880 (Chinese Lunar Calendar).
There is a farmer who went for a walk in the mountain forest behind the house in the morning. There was an object in the woods, which was emitting a strange, colorful light. He went near it and felt his body being lifted off the ground as if he was floating on clouds. The sound of whistling wind kept ringing in his ears. His mind was confused, and his body could not move completely. He suddenly falls, and he is on a mountainous hill. He is very surprised as if he had just woken up from a dream. A woodcutter then comes and asked him where he was from. The farmer replied that he was from Songzi County, Hubei Province. The woodcutter said in a curious way: How come you are here? This is Guizhou Province. It is five or six hundred kilometers away from your hometown. The farmer came down the mountain as he was told. He returned home, and 18 days had already passed.
晨起信步往屋後山林，见丛薄间有一物，光彩异常，五色鲜艳。即 往捕之，忽觉身自飘举，若在云端，耳旁飒飒有声，精神懵昧，身 体不能自由。忽然自高坠下，乃一峻岭也。覃某如梦初醒，惊骇非 常。移时来一樵者，询之，答曰：余湖北松滋人也 樵夫诧曰：子胡为乎来哉？此贵州境地，去尔处千余里矣! 指其途径下山. 覃丐而归，抵家已逾十八日矣
1892: “Flying Red Flame” (赤焰騰空) - China: Dianshizhai Pictorial by Wu Youru (吳有如 Wú yǒurú)
In September 28, 1892, a large egg-like red object sailed very slowly from the West to the East before eventually disappearing from sight. This incident in Nanjing City had hundreds of witnesses, and many tried to speculate the nature of the phenomenon. Some thought it was a meteor, but it was too slow (stagnant). Others thought that it was a sky (Chinese) lantern, but the direction of the wind suggested otherwise. One witness pointed out that the object made a subtle noise when it arrived.
九月二十八日，晚间八点钟时，金陵(今南京市)城南，偶忽见火毯(即球)一 团，自西向东，型如巨卵，色红而无光，飘荡半空，其行甚缓。维时浮云 蔽空，天色昏暗。举头仰视，甚觉分明，立朱雀桥上，翘首踮足者不下数 百人。约一炊许渐远渐减。有谓流星过境者，然星之驰也，瞬息即杳。此 球自近而远，自有而无，甚属濡滞，则非星驰可知。有谓儿童放天灯者， 是夜风暴向北吹，此球转向东去，则非天灯又可知。众口纷纷，穷于推测 。有一叟云，是物初起时微觉有声，非静听不觉也，系由南门外腾越而来 者。嘻，异矣！
