[9] Qianliyan is first attested in the early-16th century novel Journey to the West,[9] where he appears as the personified form of the Taoist Jade Emperor's eyes[4] and one of his lieutenants.

[11] Qianliyan next appeared as a lieutenant of the Emperor of Flowering Brightness (t 華光大帝, s 华光大帝, Huáguāng Dàdì) in Yu Xiangdou's Journey to the South[9] and as a character in Xu Zhonglin's Creation of the Gods.

By one account, he and Shunfeng'er appeared off Meizhou Island during a storm and were defeated by Mazu's magical silk scarf, which blew clouds of sand into their eyes and ears.

[14] In another, the two were Song generals who competed for her hand at Peach Blossom Mountain (桃花山, Táohuā Shān) but were both defeated by her kung fu.

Ji Fa's advisor Jiang Ziya is made out to have been a Taoist adept, however, who uses the esoteric knowledge he received from the Primordial Lord of Heaven on Mount Kunlun to defeat them.

During the 8-day, 250-kilometer (155 mi) annual pilgrimages from Dajia to Beigang, Mazu's idol is accompanied by 10-foot (3 m) figures of Qianliyan and Shunfeng'er played by masked men on stilts.

[2] This was not his original position: The Southern Song statue mentioned above and another in the Nanhai Longwang Temple (t 南海龍王廟, s 南海龙王庙, Nánhǎi Lóngwáng Miào) in eastern Guangzhou in Guangdong give him three eyes but do not have either of his hands raised to his brow.