Tortoise

According to the book of rites, the qilin, phoenix, tortoise and the dragon are the 4 spiritually endowed creatures.   The tortoise is also called xuan wu (玄武）, the black warrior.　　It presides over the north quadrant of the universe and symbolises winter.

Together with the crane, they are both ancient emblem of longevity.  There are some ancient records offering views on its age.  According to Ge wu zhi (格物志), ie record of science, the tortoise can live up to 1000 years old.  Wang Chong (王充） in Lun heng (论衡）states that 'when the tortoise has lived 300 years old, it is no bigger than a coin and may still walk on a lotus leaf; when 3000 years old its colour is blue with green rim and it is then only one foot two inches in size'.　Interestingly, the motif of a tortoise at the centre of a lotus leaf has been used in ceramics during the 5 Dynasties Yue ware.  An example of which was found in the Cirebon Shipwreck in Indonesia.  Such motif can also be found on longquan wares.