During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, there was a man named Ba Lichang from Xinye, Nanyang. He vi…
During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, there was a man named Ba Lichang from Xinye, Nanyang. He violated the law, was punished, and exiled to cultivate land on the border of Dunhuang. Wild horses often appeared in the reclaimed land. Ba Lichang devised a plan to capture a rare horse, and to make it seem divine, he claimed it emerged from the water. At that time, the Han Dynasty was believed to be under the influence of the Water Deity and still revered black. Upon hearing that a rare horse had emerged from the water, Emperor Wu immediately regarded it as an auspicious omen, composed "Song of the Heavenly Horse", and announced it to the world.