[2] Little is known about Gongye Chang's life, but he became the subject of a variety of later Chinese legends and folklore, and was said to be able to understand the language of animals and birds.
[2] In one story, which explains why he was imprisoned, he overheard a number of birds discussing the location of a murder victim.
Tang dynasty poets Shen Quanqi and Bai Juyi both made references to Gongye Chang's story in their poems.
[5] In Confucian temples, Gongye Chang's spirit tablet is placed in the outer court, beyond those of the Four Assessors and Twelve Wise Ones, and next to that of Fu Buqi.
[3] During the Tang dynasty, Emperor Xuanzong posthumously awarded Gongye Chang the nobility title of Count of Ju (莒伯).