UFOs Reported in Ancient Chinese Texts
By Goldsea Staff | 25 Oct, 2025

Chinese writings of the past two millennia contain many accounts of celestial objects that lent themselves to fanciful descriptions and explanations from the perspective of scholars of a pre-technological society.

Flying objects described in ancient Chinese texts should have — from the modern skeptics' perspective — greater credibility as not being mistaken sightings of airplanes, helicopters, drones, deep-black military test vehicles, satellites or hot-air balloons.  They also aren't likely to have been motivated by a quest for media attention.  

Artist's conception of the "Flying Cauldron" reported in the 6th century. (Image by Gemini)

And yet ancient Chinese writings contain countless accounts of bright objects moving about swiftly or erratically, or loitering above the earth.  Some accounts could be interpreted as early efforts at creating hot-air balloons by burning resin inside translucent paper enclosures.  Still others might be seen as balsa-wood contraptions capable of catching rising air currents.  No doubt pre-technological skeptics seeking to impose their rationality to UFO sightings would have strained for comprehensible explanations, be they lanterns or dragons or the chariots of divine beings.

Artist's conception of "Sky Carriage with three luminous robed beings" from a 7th century Tang Dynasty report.  (Image by Copilot)

In fact, AI assistant Gemini's list of 10 UFO sightings from ancient Chinese texts contain several reports anchored in the technologies and mythologies of the day.   But the majority of the sightings had no such prosaic explanations.  More significantly, there is no overlap between the top 10 lists provided by Gemini and by Copilot, suggesting that at least many dozens of reports of UFO sightings exist in ancient Chinese texts.

Artist's conception of the "Flying Platform" reported in the 11th century Song Dynasty.  (Image by Copilot)

We found significance in the fact that the CIA's archives on UFOs in ancient China is a key reference used by Copilot.

It occurs to us that the two AI assistants arrived at their differing lists at least partly due to a difference in how each interpreted our prompt:

List the 10 most substantive descriptions or depictions of UFOs in ancient Chinese texts.

Copilot:

Ancient Chinese texts contain several intriguing accounts of aerial phenomena that resemble modern UFO descriptions—often interpreted as celestial omens, divine vehicles, or mysterious lights. Here are 10 of the most substantive examples.

🏮 Top 10 UFO-like Accounts in Ancient Chinese Records

1. Han Dynasty “Flying Light” (circa 100 BCE)

   • A record from the Han Shu (Book of Han) describes a “flying light” that moved rapidly across the sky, changing direction and emitting a glow. It was interpreted as a celestial portent  CIA.

2. “Pearl in the Sky” – Jin Dynasty (3rd century CE)

   • In Jin Shu (Book of Jin), a glowing object described as a “pearl” hovered over a city for several nights. It emitted beams and was visible to many witnesses  Archive.

3. Tang Dynasty “Sky Carriage” (7th century CE)

   • The Youyang Zazu, a Tang-era miscellany, recounts a “sky carriage” that descended from the clouds, carrying beings dressed in luminous robes. It vanished after a brief appearance  Archive.

4. Song Dynasty “Flying Platform” (11th century CE)

   • In Song Shi (History of Song), a “platform of light” was seen floating above Kaifeng. It emitted no sound and hovered silently before ascending into the clouds  Archive.

5. “Fireball Over the Capital” – Ming Dynasty (1523 CE)

   • A Ming-era chronicle describes a “fireball” that flew over Beijing, illuminating the night sky and causing panic. It moved against the wind and vanished suddenly  Archive.

6. “Metallic Bird” – Zhou Dynasty (circa 500 BCE)

   • The Zhou Li (Rites of Zhou) mentions a “metallic bird” that flew without flapping wings. Some scholars interpret this as symbolic, but others see parallels to mechanical flight  Archive.

7. “Celestial Boat” – Tang Dynasty (8th century CE)

   • A tale from Taiping Guangji describes a “boat in the sky” seen by villagers. It hovered for hours and was said to carry “immortals” or divine beings  Archive.

8. “Red Wheel in the Sky” – Han Dynasty (circa 200 BCE)

   • The Huainanzi mentions a “red wheel” that appeared in the heavens, rotating and emitting heat. It was interpreted as a sign of cosmic imbalance  Archive.

9. “Glowing Sphere” – Qing Dynasty (18th century CE)

   • A Qing-era gazetteer describes a “glowing sphere” that hovered over rice fields, frightening farmers and causing crops to wilt. It vanished with a loud boom  Archive.

10. “Sky Lanterns of the Immortals” – Daoist Texts

• Daoist writings like the Zhenjing refer to “sky lanterns” used by immortals to travel between realms. These are often described as glowing, silent, and capable of sudden movement  Archive  JASON COLAVITO.

Sources:

• CIACIA FOIA archive on UFOs in Ancient China
• ArchiveThe Chinese Roswell by Hartwig Hausdorf
• JASON COLAVITOJason Colavito’s summary of ancient Chinese UFO accounts

If you’d like, I can help you visualize one of these scenes or explore how these accounts influenced Chinese cosmology and folklore.

**

Gemini:

Compiling a definitive, universally agreed-upon list of the 10 "most substantive" UFO descriptions in ancient Chinese texts is challenging, as these accounts are often integrated with mythology, religious symbolism, and natural phenomenon observation (like comets, meteors, or atmospheric effects).

However, by focusing on descriptions that suggest mechanical devices, unusual non-natural aerial phenomena, or encounters with non-human entities, the following accounts are frequently cited in discussions of ancient Chinese UFO/aerial phenomena:

📜 Substantive Ancient Chinese Accounts of Flying Objects

1. "Aerial Carriages" of the Qi Gong People (Bowuzhi - Record of Investigation of Things, 3rd century CE):

   • Description: An account attributed to Zhang Hua describing the Qi Gong people as skilled mechanics who made "aerial carriages" ($\text{fei che}$ 飛車). These devices could travel great distances "with a fair wind."

   • Significance: The description explicitly uses a term for "flying vehicle" and frames the object within a technological, rather than purely magical, context. One version claims a carriage was dismantled by Emperor Tang and later reassembled to send the visitors home.

2. The Flying Pearl (Mengxi Bitan - Dream Pool Essays, 1088 CE):

   • Description: Written by the polymath Shen Kuo (1031–1095), this passage records eyewitness testimony from Jiangsu and Anhui about a massive, unidentified flying object. The object, shaped like a pearl, shone with a blinding light that was seen to cast shadows on trees for ten miles around. It reportedly had opening doors and was seen frequently over a period of years.

   • Significance: This is a vivid, detailed, and relatively modern-sounding account of a recurring, highly luminous aerial object, recorded by a respected Song dynasty scholar-official.

3. The "Cloud-Dwelling" Visitors (Historical Texts):

   • Description: Legends of the legendary Yellow Emperor ($\text{Huang Ti}$) often include him using a dragon, which some interpret as a metaphorical flying machine, to achieve immortality and transport numerous people (wives, ministers).

   • Significance: While mythological, the detail of a single entity or vehicle transporting many people suggests an advanced aerial conveyance.

4. Lu Ban's Wooden Magpie (Various texts, attributed to Spring and Autumn Period):

   • Description: The legendary craftsman Lu Ban (or Mozi in other accounts) is said to have carved a magpie from wood and bamboo. When completed, he caused it to fly for three days without coming down.

   • Significance: This represents an early technical concept of a self-propelled or self-sustaining flying machine, often interpreted as an early kite or glider, but still a non-magical aerial device.

5. The Sky Lantern/Kongming Lantern (Attributed to Zhuge Liang, Three Kingdoms Period):

   • Description: While not a "UFO" in the modern sense, the invention of the Kongming Lantern ($\text{Kongming Deng}$ 孔明燈) is often cited as an early Chinese recognition of hot-air flight principles. It was a paper lantern lifted by hot air from a burning piece of rosin, reportedly used by the strategist Zhuge Liang to send signals and scare enemies.

   • Significance: A historically verifiable, widespread technology that demonstrates the application of physics for creating a luminous, aerial object, suggesting that observers understood some phenomena as man-made.

6. The Flying Tripod of Emperor Yu (Shu Yi Ji - Records of Strange Things, 6th Century CE):

   • Description: Later accounts of the legendary Emperor Yu, a mythical ruler, describe him owning a flying tripod or cauldron.

   • Significance: The image of a ruler or sage using a cauldron-shaped, technologically-infused object for travel is a recurring motif sometimes viewed as a symbolic depiction of a strange aerial craft.

7. Flying Chariots/Vehicles ($\text{Fei Che}$ 飛車) (Baopuzi - Master Who Embraces Simplicity, c. 317 CE):

   • Description: The Daoist philosopher Ge Hong describes the apocryphal use of a rotor-driven mechanism: "Some have made flying cars with wood from the inner part of the jujube tree, using ox-leather (straps) fastened to returning blades so as to set [them in motion]."

   • Significance: This offers a quasi-technical description of a rotor-wing principle, suggesting a device capable of vertical or propeller-driven flight, distinct from gliders or kites.

8. The Winged Dragon ($\text{Yinglong}$ 應龍) as a Vehicle (Huainanzi, 2nd century BCE):

   • Description: While a mythological dragon, texts like the Huainanzi describe deities and figures who "rode the thunder chariot, using winged dragons as the inner pair and green dragons as the outer pair."

   • Significance: The concept of the winged dragon is sometimes compared to a vehicle due to its use as a mechanism for transporting multiple entities across the heavens.

9. The "Burning Object" in the Sky (Book of the Later Han, 5th century CE):

   • Description: This history records an event where a burning object descended into the capital area, causing great alarm.

   • Significance: Accounts of bright, fiery objects in the sky are common, and while many are meteors or comets, the context of official historical records gives this description weight as an unusual, significant event.

10. Emperor Shun's Escape (Records of the Grand Historian, $\text{Shi Ji}$ 《史记》, c. 94 BCE):

    • Description: When his father tried to burn him on a barn roof, the legendary Emperor Shun escaped by jumping while holding up two large bamboo hats, landing safely.

    • Significance: This is considered an early concept of parachuting or controlled descent, demonstrating ancient Chinese interest in overcoming gravity and surviving falls, a precursor to understanding aerial dynamics.