In the Xinghu Chong area of Shangnanmen, Yuanling Town, Yuanling County in Western Hunan, there once stood a temple called “Meishan Temple,” dedicated to Meishan Niangniang, the local hunter goddess of the Tujia people. The Tujia’s religious beliefs were deeply influenced by Han Chinese traditions, with strong reverence for mountain deities and ancestral worship. The ancestors of the Tujia were renowned for their exceptional hunting skills, and Meishan Shen was their venerated hunter deity. Hunters performed the ritual of “An Meishan” both before and after every hunt, offering sacrifices to Meishan Niangniang.
Legend has it that in ancient times, the mountains of Yuanling in Western Hunan were densely forested and teeming with tigers and leopards. Many years ago, between He Ming Mountain and Wu Tong Mountain along the Yuan River in the Wuling Mountains, a valley became so overrun with tigers and leopards that it was named Xinghu Chong (“Rising Tiger Valley”). In this valley lived a hunter named Mei, who had a daughter whom he cherished as his only companion. The girl was born exceptionally intelligent, with almond-shaped eyes and crimson lips, breathtakingly beautiful. Her father loved her as if she were a precious pearl and was determined to train her into an outstanding hunter.
From childhood, she understood the language of birds and beasts and had a boyish spirit. By day, she played with her puppy; by night, she slept cuddling a young rabbit, always cheerful. She was diligent and quick to learn—whatever she studied, she grasped instantly and mastered with ease. At age five, she could embroider flowers so lifelike they seemed to bloom. At seven, she could play the “Dongdong Kui,” a traditional flute, summoning flowers to bloom and birds to sing. By nine, she handled all household chores—gathering firewood, fetching water, washing clothes, and cooking—and became her father’s indispensable helper.
When she reached fifteen or sixteen, she insisted on accompanying her father into the mountains to hunt. At first he refused, but her persistent requests finally won him over. Her intuition was extraordinary; she quickly mastered all her father’s hunting techniques. Moreover, her archery was superb—she could shoot accurately with either hand, far and true. She also understood the speech of animals and possessed astonishing strength. Thus, every time she went hunting, she never missed her target. Yet she never hunted pregnant animals in winter or nesting birds in spring.
Each day, she brought back more game than all the hunters of the Nine Creeks and Eighteen Caves combined, always returning with a full load. Following village custom, she always kept the animal’s head and distributed the meat among every Tujia family on the mountain. The people of the Wuling Mountains adored her, and because she was always roaming the hills, they affectionately called her “Meishan Girl.”
To improve her hunting efficiency, Meishan Girl sought the help of a blacksmith and invented a native fire rifle. With cunning and skill, she captured a bear, freeing the Tujia people from its harassment. From then on, her fame spread far and wide, and the Tujia held her in deep reverence.
Meishan Girl roamed every ridge and valley of the Wuling Mountains, killing ninety-nine wild boars, forty-nine leopards, twenty-five tigers, over a hundred goats, and thousands of pheasants. The pelts piled up like mountains in her home, and the animal heads adorned every wall.
One day, rumors spread that seven ferocious tigers had appeared in the Wuling Mountains. In just three days and two nights, they had killed nine sheep, carried off nine oxen, and wounded nine travelers. Panic gripped the village: every household locked their doors; no one dared drive livestock up the mountain, go out to work in the fields, or hunt. Even passing merchants vanished.
Upon hearing this, Meishan Girl resolved to rid the villagers of these seven tigers.
The next morning, she paid homage to her ancestors, packed dried rations, and took up a bullhorn steel fork to bid farewell to her aged father. He had wished to accompany her, but his age prevented him; he could only let her go alone.
Meishan Girl climbed mountains as swiftly as a galloping horse and descended slopes like a flying arrow. She crossed nine ridges and forded nine streams in one breath. Sitting beneath a great tree, she rested, ate two corn cakes, drank a few sips of mountain spring water, then scaled the peak, tirelessly searching. Once she found the tigers’ tracks, she fought each one with all her might.
That day, from dawn to dusk, Meishan Girl slew six tigers in succession. As she battled the sixth tiger, her bullhorn steel fork snapped in two. Holding half the fork, she looked up—the sun had set, birds had returned to their nests, and ahead lay sheer cliffs and a bottomless abyss. Exhausted, she prepared to descend and return home, planning to hunt the final tiger the next day.
Just as she was about to descend, a violent gust of wind swept through, accompanied by a deafening tiger roar. The seventh tiger appeared twenty feet before her, jaws wide open like a blood-filled basin, eyes glowing green, and a striking “King” character clearly marked on its forehead. With a mighty leap, the tiger lunged at her!
Meishan Girl bent her body sharply—the tiger missed. Seeing it land, she hurled the half-forked bullhorn straight at its head.
But the tiger turned its head—the fork lodged in its ear! The tiger spun around and charged again.
Seeing the tiger’s ferocious assault, Meishan Girl darted forward as the beast leaped through the air, seized its neck, pressed her body tightly against its belly, and clamped both hands around its throat—squeezing, squeezing, squeezing—her ten fingers sinking deep into the tiger’s flesh. Blood streamed from its neck, yet she squeezed harder. The tiger’s hind claws tore her clothes into tatters, leaving her body lacerated and bleeding, but she never released her grip. The tiger writhed and rolled desperately, trying to shake her off. Meishan Girl, with all her remaining strength, clung on as both she and the tiger tumbled together down the abyss…
That night, the old hunter could not sleep, fearing for his daughter. At first light the next morning, he climbed the mountain to search for her. The Tujia villagers heard the news and rushed up the mountain too. On the slopes and peaks, they found six dead tigers. Beneath the cliff of Meishan Gorge, they discovered the seventh tiger—killed by Meishan Girl—but of Meishan Girl herself, neither body nor trace remained.
Just as everyone searched desperately, days later, Meishan Girl returned home on her own.
It turned out that when she and the final tiger tumbled from the cliff, they fell mid-air and were caught by celestial gods. The gods rescued her and ascended her to heaven, naming her the Goddess of the Hunt, granting her dominion over all beasts of the mountain. But Meishan Girl longed for her father and secretly returned to her mountain home.
When the news reached the Tusi King, he sent matchmakers bearing baskets of jewels, seeking to take Meishan Girl as his concubine. She refused. Enraged, the Tusi King imprisoned her. Yet she remained steadfast and refused to yield.
Seeing she would not submit, and unable to marry her, the Tusi King resolved to kill her.
His steward devised a plan: “To kill her without cause would incite public outrage. I have a plan that will surely end her life.” He went to her cell and said, “You need not marry the Tusi King, but you must do one thing: There is a giant tiger in the northern mountains. If you kill it, I will set you free.”
Believing him, Meishan Girl climbed the northern mountain that very night. As soon as she entered the forest, a magnificent striped tiger leapt out, roaring as it lunged toward her, intent on devouring her whole.
At first stunned, Meishan Girl quickly recovered. She dodged the tiger’s three furious pounces and fought it with a short-handled woodcutter’s axe.
During the battle, her clothes were shredded into ribbons by the tiger’s claws, fluttering away like butterflies in the wind. Her shoulders, back, wrists, and thighs were cut and bleeding. Yet the tiger gained no advantage—its forehead and body were slashed open by Meishan Girl’s axe, equally scarred and wounded. Finally, gritting her teeth and summoning her last strength, she plunged the axe—blade and handle together—deep into the tiger’s vital point, killing the cunning beast.
As Meishan Girl began her journey home after slaying the tiger, she accidentally stepped into a trap the Tusi King had set long ago. Hidden nearby, the steward ordered his servants to unleash a volley of arrows. Meishan Girl was struck and died instantly.
The tragic news reached the village. The people were enraged. The Tujia rose up in fury, shouting for vengeance. They stormed the Tusi King’s palace, hacked the steward to pieces with knives, and tore the Tusi King limb from limb.
After her death, Meishan Girl transformed into Meishan Shen—the Hunter Goddess—who now governed human hunting. Meishan Shen secretly bestowed game upon Tujia hunters and protected them. From then on, the Tujia people venerated Meishan Girl’s spirit as the Hunter Goddess and built the “Meishan Temple” in Xinghu Chong, forever blessing them with safe hunts and abundant game.
As tigers were gradually hunted to near extinction, and since Xinghu Chong lay beside the Yuan River, ancient people called flat land slightly distant from the water “hu.” This place was covered in apricot trees, and Meishan Girl herself had almond eyes and crimson lips. To honor her memory, the people renamed Xinghu Chong “Xinghu Chong” (Apricot Bank Valley).
From then on, whenever the Tujia went hunting or returned with game, they honored Meishan Shen. Before ascending the mountain, they burned incense and paper offerings, praying to Meishan Shen before setting out—a ritual called “Opening Meishan.” They believed that if Meishan Shen was not honored first, they would find no tracks of game, their guns might misfire, or they might even mistake a companion for prey and shoot him.
It was said that all beasts of the Wuling Mountains obeyed Meishan Shen. To enter the mountains and pay homage to Meishan Shen was to ask her to gather the animals for the hunters. To return with game and honor Meishan Shen was to thank her. To worship her properly, one must dress neatly and act with sincere devotion—or the ritual would be ineffective.
Thus, many hunters secretly set up altars, away from others. In quiet corners beside or behind their homes, facing the direction of the mountain, they established a shrine to Meishan Shen and worshipped the empty air—so that no one would mock or disrespect the goddess.
Since then, the Tujia people, who have lived for generations in the Wuling Mountains, have cherished solitary hunting. After a kill, they follow Meishan Girl’s tradition: “On the mountain, everyone shares the game.”
When an animal falls, the number of hunters present is counted. The carcass is carried home, first offered to Meishan Shen (the Hunter God), then butchered and divided by shares. The entire carcass—from neck to head—is given to the hunter who fired the first shot or made the first cut.
The hunter who fired the second shot or thrust the second spear receives “Ercai” (“Second Prize”), a hind leg of the pig. The rest is divided equally among all present. Anyone who saw the animal fall receives a share—this is called “Chasing Meat Along the Mountain: Everyone Gets a Portion.”
When dividing the meat, each portion is threaded through with palm leaves and placed together in a winnowing basket. Another basket is placed on top, leaving only the palm leaves visible. When taking meat, the basket is shaken several times—no one can see whether the portions are good or poor. Each person takes a palm-leaf strand; whoever gets a good or bad piece has no complaint.
The heart and lungs of wild boars are given to the hunting dogs.
All other organs and the four hooves are boiled together, and everyone shares the meal, celebrating the joy of a successful hunt and confirming the distribution is complete.
This legend and custom, passed down through generations of the Tujia people, continues to this day, leaving behind many mysterious and wondrous traces. Their veneration of Meishan Niangniang, like the ancient Greek huntress Diana, appears primitive and ancient, yet profoundly sacred.
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