The Sovereign’s Breath Mythical Beast Glaze Incense Burner-Dragon’s Fifth Son Suanni

"Bring peace into your space."

• Size: 45*60mm
• Pendant Weight: 200g
• Material: Handcrafted Glaze/Liuli Crystal Art

• Available Color: Purple, Golden Amber, Frost White

This handcrafted Liuli Suanni Incense Burner blends traditional mythical symbolism, artistic glass craftsmanship, and calming incense culture into one elegant decorative piece.

Known for its love of stillness and incense smoke, Suanni has long been sculpted onto incense burners throughout Eastern culture, where rising smoke flowing from its mouth represents — harmonious and fortunate energy filling the space.

-Design Inspiration

This incense burner was inspired by traditional incense rituals and the majestic image of Suanni.（Dragon’s Fifth Son） 

The sculpted form combines:

• Dragon-inspired facial features
• Lion-like body posture
• Dense flowing mane details
• Powerful four-legged stance

-Who It’s For

• Meditation corners
• Tea ceremony spaces
• Calm home decor
• Incense lovers
• Spiritual art collectors
• Meaningful housewarming gifts
  

-FAQ

Q1: What is Suanni?

Suanni, also known as Golden Suanni, is traditionally regarded as the fifth son of the Dragon.

According to traditional mythology:

• Suanni enjoys quietness and stillness
• It dislikes unnecessary movement
• It especially loves sitting peacefully around incense and smoke

Because of this symbolic connection to incense culture, Suanni is often sculpted onto censer lids and incense burners.

Its smoke-breathing image symbolizes:

• Peaceful energy
• Auspicious surroundings
• Stability and protection
• Harmonious atmosphere

Q2: What is liuli made of?
Liuli is a traditional Chinese high-temperature glass art material known for its translucent glow, rich colors, and cultural significance.

Q3: Is this only decorative, or functional too?

Both. It works as a functional incense burner while also serving as an artistic decorative object.

Dragon’s Nine Sons Explained: Who Are the 9 Dragon Sons in Chinese Mythology?

The legend of the Dragon’s Nine Sons refers to the belief that the dragon had nine sons, yet none of them became dragons, and each possessed a completely different nature and appearance. However, the phrase “the dragon gave birth to nine sons” does not literally mean the dragon had exactly nine children.

In traditional Chinese culture, the number nine symbolizes abundance and supreme status. It is both a symbolic and noble number, so it was used to describe the dragon’s offspring.

The saying “Dragon Gives Birth to Nine Sons” has existed for a very long time, but exactly which nine creatures they were has never had one universally agreed version.

One famous version comes from Li Dongyang’s Huailu Hall Collection during the Ming Dynasty:

1Qiúniú
One of the Dragon’s Nine Sons. It resembles a small yellow dragon with scales and horns. It loves music and is often seen crouching on the head of string instruments. This musically gifted dragon son appears not only on Han Chinese huqin instruments, but also on Yi dragon-head moon guitars, Bai sanxian instruments, and some Tibetan musical instruments, usually depicted raising its head with an open mouth.

2Yázì
One of the Dragon’s Nine Sons. It has the body of a dragon and the head of a jackal. Fierce and aggressive by nature, it loves fighting and killing, so its image is often carved onto knife rings and sword handles. It resembles a jackal and delights in bloodshed. The original meaning of Yázì is “a furious glare,” as in the saying: “A favor from one meal must be repaid; even the hatred from a glare must be avenged.” Because vengeance inevitably involves violence, it became naturally associated with weapons.

3Cháofēng
One of the Dragon’s Nine Sons. It loves danger and adventure. Today, its image commonly appears among the decorative beasts placed on the corners of palace roofs.

4Púláo
One of the Dragon’s Nine Sons in legend. It roars loudly when struck, so its image became the beast-shaped knob on large bells to help amplify their sound. It resembles a dragon but is smaller. Púláo was said to live by the sea and feared whales the most. Whenever attacked by whales, it would cry out loudly. Therefore, people placed its image on bells and carved the striking beam into the shape of a whale, hoping the bell’s sound would become louder and clearer.

5Suānní
One of the Dragon’s Nine Sons. It resembles a lion and loves smoke and sitting quietly, so its image often appears on incense burners, surrounded by smoke. It is also called Golden Ní or Spiritual Ní. Suānní was originally another name for the lion, so it naturally took on a lion-like appearance. Lions were introduced into China along with Buddhism. Since Shakyamuni Buddha was compared to a fearless lion, people gradually placed Suānní beneath Buddha statues or carved it onto incense burners to peacefully enjoy the incense offerings. Tang Dynasty monk Huilin once said: “Suānní is the lion, originating from the Western Regions.”

6-Bìxì
Also called Guīfū, Bàxià, or Tiánxià. It is said to be the eldest of the Dragon’s Nine Sons. It resembles a turtle, has teeth, possesses immense strength, and loves carrying heavy objects. Stone turtles beneath ancient tablets are modeled after Bìxì. During the demolition of Beijing’s old city walls, half of a Bìxì statue was discovered beneath both Dongbian Gate and Xibian Gate, leading to the saying that Bìxì once carried the city of Beijing on its back.

7-Bì’àn
One of the Dragon’s Nine Sons. It resembles a tiger and is said to enjoy lawsuits and justice, so its image is often placed beside prison gates or government halls. It is also called Xianzhang. Because of its tiger-like appearance and imposing power, people carved it onto prison gates to enhance the authority and intimidation of prisons, making criminals fearful.

8-Fùxì
One of the Dragon’s Nine Sons. It resembles a dragon and has a refined love for literature and culture. It is often carved winding around the tops of stone tablets. Ranked eighth among the nine sons, it was fond of scholarly pursuits, and the decorative dragons on the sides of stone monuments are considered representations of it.

9-Chīwěn
Also called Chīwěi or Chīwěn. One of the Dragon’s Nine Sons. It has a moist mouth, a thick throat, and loves swallowing things, so its image became the roof-ridge beast placed at both ends of palace rooftops, symbolizing fire prevention and disaster protection.

There is no definite conclusion about whether Chīwěn was a bird or a mythical sea whale. It is also called Haowang. It resembles a four-legged lizard with its tail cut off. This dragon son liked looking out from dangerous high places and also loved swallowing fire.

According to legend, when Emperor Wu of Han built the Bailiang Palace, someone submitted a memorial stating that there was a fish in the sea with a curled tail resembling a hawk. It could spray waves and summon rain, and therefore could be used to suppress fires. As a result, its image was molded onto palace corners, roof ridges, and r