In ancient Greece and Egypt, the sources of Western civilization, it was realistic animals and people that were worshipped. Chinese people, however, thought that visible objects were not worthy of worship. "The ferocity of the tiger can be overcome," says Chu Ko, because of which people worshipped all kinds of mythical and unworldly beasts, such as the dragon and the phoenix.
西洋源流的希臘、埃及文化，崇拜的是寫實的動物與人，中國人卻認為視覺經驗的事物不值得拜，「老虎再凶，也能克服」，楚戈說，因此人們拜的是龍、鳳等各種世間沒有的幻獸。