Dogs in Chinese mythology

The immortal Zhang shooting at the Tiangou

Smoke plumes from a few of the Kuwaiti Oil Fires on April 7, 1991, as seen from Space Shuttle Atlantis during STS-37 .

Two sancai -glazed Tang dynasty tomb figures , early 8th century, Prague National Gallery

In Chinese myth, the celestial dog Tiangou stole fire from heaven and delivered it to humanity, arriving with his tail scorched permanently black. He also devours the sun and moon during eclipses — drums must be beaten to make him spit them out.