The Taoist Canon (Daozang) contains a remarkable illustration entitled Renniao
shan tu, or Chart of the Man-Bird Mountain, found in a text originally dating from the
mid-fifth century. Other Taoist works describe this mountain as the ultimate origin
of revealed scriptures and even of the entire Canon. In this article, I examine three
main themes related to the Chart. The first is the role of birds in traditional accounts
of the origins of Chinese writing. The second theme concerns the function of birds in
the revelation of prophetic charts and texts, described in Han-dynasty “weft texts.” The
third theme is the early narratives focused on the so-called “winged men” (yuren). This
is followed by an analysis of the Chart, including its inscriptions, and of the text that
contains it. An appendix provides translations of the inscriptions and of similar passages
found in other Taoist sources.