What breeds of deer are there in the Cervidae family and what do they symbolize?
Cervidae is a family of animals under the Mammalia class and Artiodactyla order. They vary in body size and are horned ruminants, distributed across Eurasia, Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, North America, South America north of 40° south latitude, and southwestern Africa. So what breeds of deer are there? What do deer symbolize?
Deer make up one family of the Artiodactyla order, with a total of 16 genera and about 52 species. Deer is the general term for animals of the Cervidae family. Some call deer economic animals, and some call deer medicinal animals, both of which show that deer have very high economic value. There are 47 species of Cervidae in the world, and China has 9 genera and 16 species of Cervidae. They are the spotted deer of the genus Axis; the sika deer of the genus Cervus. Sambar (black deer), white-lipped deer, red deer, swamp deer (Eld's deer); the milu of the genus Elaphurus; the roe deer of the genus Capreolus; the moose of the genus Alces; the reindeer of the genus Rangifer; the black muntjac, Reeve's muntjac, and red muntjac of the genus Muntiacus; the tufted deer of the genus Elaphodus; and the Chinese water deer (river muntjac) of the genus Hydropotes. Generally, sika deer, red deer, white-lipped deer, sambar and others with antler value are called antler deer, and the Chinese pharmacopoeia only recognizes sika deer and red deer.
1. Sika deer
The sika deer is a medium-sized deer, weighing 80-130 kg. Its summer coat is brown, yellowish-brown or reddish-brown, covered all over with white spots like plum blossoms, hence the name sika deer. China's sika deer have a total of 6 subspecies. Now only the Northeast sika deer subspecies native to the Changbai Mountain area of Northeast China and the Sichuan sika deer subspecies remain, and the Sichuan sika deer subspecies numbers only a few hundred. Few wild Northeast sika deer subspecies remain; most are domesticated sika deer, about 400,000 to 500,000 nationwide. Jilin Province has about 300 years of history of raising sika deer, with a current herd of 150,000. Due to geographical isolation and differences in ecological conditions, they differ in physiological anatomy and production performance. Accordingly, Jilin Province's sika deer are divided into 5 type groups: Shuangyang-type sika deer, Dongfeng-type sika deer, Yitong-type sika deer, Longtanshan-type sika deer and Fusong-type sika deer. On the basis of these sika deer type groups, after many years of artificial selection and breeding, the Shuangyang sika deer breed, Changbai Mountain sika deer strain and Xifeng sika deer breed were developed. These deer have characteristics such as strong production capacity and stable heredity, and have made great contributions to promoting the deer-raising industry.
2. Red deer
The red deer is a large deer, weighing 150-250 kg. It is a type of red deer, and is called red deer because it resembles a horse. There are still disagreements regarding the classification of red deer subspecies. Ma Yiqing (1998) divided the world's red deer into 22 subspecies. China has 8 subspecies, namely: the Tianshan subspecies, the Yarkant (Tarim) subspecies, the Altai subspecies, the Northeast subspecies, the Alxa subspecies, the Gansu subspecies, the Sichuan subspecies and the Tibet subspecies. China has relatively many wild red deer, mainly in Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia and the Greater and Lesser Khingan Mountains. In the 1980s there were still no fewer than 300,000 to 400,000. Due to indiscriminate hunting, the resource has been severely damaged. There are about 100,000 domesticated red deer.
(1) The Northeast red deer, also called the yellow-rumped red deer, is native to the Changbai Mountain area and the Greater and Lesser Khingan Mountain areas of Northeast China. The Northeast red deer is large in body but low in production capacity, and most of those currently raised have been improved by crossbreeding with Tianshan red deer.
(2) The Tianshan red deer is produced in northern Xinjiang, among which the red deer produced in the Ili region and Altay region have high productivity and have been widely introduced to inland areas. The Tianshan red deer introduced to the Qingyuan area of Liaoning Province has, after breeding, formed the Qingyuan strain of Tianshan red deer, with production capacity somewhat higher than that of the place of origin.
(3) The Tarim red deer is produced in the Tarim River basin of southern Xinjiang. Because it lives in the arid, rain-scarce Gobi region, it has characteristics such as drought tolerance, tolerance of coarse feed and high productivity. Through breeding by the Second Agricultural Division of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, the Tarim red deer breed has been developed.
3. White-lipped deer
The white-lipped deer is also a large deer, living in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau region at an altitude of over 3,000 m. Its antler has a low degree of ossification and the antler skin contains relatively little fat. Because of its strong specialization, it is not easy for it to survive when introduced to inland areas.
4. Sambar
A medium-sized deer, mainly distributed in Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangdong, Guangxi and Taiwan, China, and its three-tined antler has a high degree of ossification. In addition, reindeer, Eld's deer, moose and milu also have great development value.
What do deer symbolize
The character for “deer” is homophonous with the character for “emolument,” symbolizing auspiciousness, longevity and promotion in office. Legend says that at a thousand years it becomes a grey deer, and at two thousand years an black deer. Therefore the deer is an immortal beast of longevity. Deer are often depicted together with cranes guarding the lingzhi immortal herb, and the character for deer is also homophonous with the character for “emolument” among the three auspicious stars: “fortune, emolument and longevity.” Therefore it is also often used in some paintings to represent longevity and prosperity.
Both deer and cranes are spirit creatures in feng shui that represent health and longevity. The deer boy and crane boy immortals are the high disciples under the altar of the old longevity star, the Immortal of the South Pole. The “deer and crane holding the lingzhi” auspicious ornament shows a sika deer lying beside a large longevity peach, with an immortal crane standing alongside, and the deer and crane jointly holding a lingzhi immortal herb. It signifies prolonging life, health and auspiciousness, and eternal youth.
In myths and legends, the three immortals of Penglai in the East Sea are precisely “fortune, emolument and longevity.” The deer is homophonous with “emolument,” meaning high office and generous emolument, and the sika deer in particular is also connected with the “plum blossom list,” symbolizing a scholar achieving fame and passing the imperial examination with high honors.
If someone in the family is troubled about being promoted to an official post, then one might as well place a deer-shaped ornament in the home. Since ancient times the deer has been regarded as an auspicious object, a symbol of political power and rank. The Records of the Grand Historian says: “When Qin lost its deer, the whole world chased it together.” This is a metaphor for the Qin dynasty emperor losing political power. Losing the deer is losing power, and gaining the deer naturally means gaining position and power. Placing a deer in the home is very helpful for job seekers to obtain position and power. In addition, the deer itself is homophonous with “emolument,” so gaining the deer also symbolizes “gaining emolument,” which can play a very good role in promoting the advancement of family members.
Not only for those seeking promotion: for those seeking learning, deer also have a very good feng shui effect. The deer is one of the most sensitive animals, with very keen smell and hearing. Placing a deer-shaped ornament in the study can activate the study's aura, suddenly enlighten a person, and improve learning efficiency.
But one thing to note when placing deer is that deer-shaped ornaments should not be placed in the bedroom, as they may cause insomnia; in addition, people born in the years of the tiger or the dog are not suited to placing deer-shaped ornaments.
In ancient myths, legends and historical texts, deer have a rather good symbolic meaning. Placing deer ornaments in appropriate positions in the home has an uplifting effect on the fortune of family members, and homeowners who pay attention to feng shui might as well give it a try.