The male is a bright plumage bird of white gold and plumage of the red body, gray legs, brown iris and red skin around the eyes. The head is white with a narrow black band across his eyes. The male has an extremely long silvery tail barred with chestnut. This pheasant is mentioned in Guinness World Records 2008 by having the highest natural tail feather of any species of bird; a record previously held by the Argus Crested Pheasant. It can measure up to 2.4 meters in length. The female is a brown bird with blackened crown, yellow and brown face with gray tail feathers.

It is endemic in the green forests of central and eastern China. Where introduced they also inhabit agricultural lands near forests. They were introduced for sporting and ornamental purposes to Hawaii, USA, Czech Republic, France and UK.