Chinese dragon

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Chinese dragon
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese



In Chinese daily language, excellent and outstanding people are compared to a dragon, while incapable people with no achievements are compared with other, disesteemed creatures, such as a worm. A number of Chinese proverbs and idioms feature references to a dragon, for example: "Hoping one's son will become a dragon" (望子成龍, i.e. be as a dragon). The Chinese Dragon also brings good luck to those who need or deserve it.

Stone relief of Chinese dragons in the Qishan Wanfo Temple (Qishan Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery), Fuzhou (1951).

Symbolic value[edit]

Statue of the goddess Xihe charioteering the sun, being pulled by a dragon, in Hangzhou

Historically, the dragon was the symbol of the Emperor of China. In the Zhou Dynasty, the 5-clawed dragon was assigned to the Son of Heaven, the 4-clawed dragon to the nobles (zhuhou, seigneur), and the 3-clawed dragon to the ministers (daifu). In the Qin Dynasty, the 5-clawed foot dragon was assigned to represent the Emperor while the 4-clawed and 3-clawed dragons were assigned to the commoners. The dragon in the Qing Dynasty appeared on national flags.[2]



Sometimes Chinese people use the term "Descendants of the Dragon" (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ) as a sign of ethnic identity, as part of a trend started in the 1970s when different Asian nationalities were looking for animal symbols for representations.[2] The wolf was used among the Mongols, the monkey among Tibetans.[2]

In Chinese culture today, the dragon is mostly used for decorative purposes. It is a taboo to disfigure a depiction of a dragon.

Regional variations across Asia[edit]

Giant dragon statues surrounded by the sea at Sanggar Agung Temple, Surabaya, Indonesia

While depictions of the dragon in art and literature are consistent throughout the cultures in which it is found, there are some regional differences. The remainder of this article deals with aspects common across cultures, as well as features peculiar to cultural China.


Dragon worship[edit]


The C-shaped jade totem of Hongshan culture
Jade-carved dragon garment ornament from the Warring States period (403 BC-221 BC).
Gilded-bronze handle in the shape of a dragon's head and neck, made during the Eastern Han period (25–220 AD)

The origin of the Chinese dragon is not certain. The presence of dragons within Chinese culture dates back several thousands of years with the discovery of a dragon statue dating back to the fifth millennium BC from the Yangshao culture in Henan in 1987,[5] and jade badges of rank in coiled form have been excavated from the Hongshan culture circa 4700-2900 BC.[6]

The coiled snake or dragon form played an important role in early Chinese culture. The character for "dragon" in the earliest Chinese writing has a similar coiled form, as do later jade dragon amulets from the Shang period.[7]

Ancient Chinese referred to unearthed dinosaur bones as dragon bones and documented them as such. For example, Chang Qu in 300 BC documents the discovery of "dragon bones" in Sichuan.[8] The modern Chinese word for dinosaur is konglong (恐龍), and villagers in central China have long unearthed fossilized "dragon bones" for use in traditional medicines, a practice that continues today.[9]


Some[who?] have further suggested that the Chinese dragon form comes from stylized depictions of existing animals, such as snakes, fish, or crocodiles. A view advocated by He Xin is that the early dragon depicted a species of crocodile, specifically, Crocodylus porosus, the saltwater crocodile, which is the largest living reptile, and once ranged into China during ancient times.[citation needed] The crocodile is known[by whom?] to be able to accurately sense changes in air pressure, and be able to sense coming rain. This may have been[vague] the origin of the dragon's mythical attributes in controlling the weather, especially the rain. The association with the crocodile is also supported by the view[by whom?] in ancient times that large crocodiles are a variety of dragon. For example, in the Story of Zhou Chu, about the life of a Jin Dynasty warrior, he is said to have killed a "dragon" that infested the waters of his home village, which appears to have been a crocodile.[citation needed]

Some scholars[who?] believe that the Chinese dragon form originated from totems of different tribes in China, as a merger of totems of various tribes consequential to tribal mergers. Legendary figures like Nüwa (女媧) and Fuxi (伏羲) are depicted as having snake bodies.[citation needed] Some scholars[who?] have noted that a myth arose that the first legendary Emperor of China, Huangdi (黃帝, Yellow Emperor) used a snake for his coat of arms. According to the myth, every time he conquered another tribe, he incorporated his defeated enemy's emblem into his own, thus explains why the dragon appears to have features of various animals.[citation needed]

Mythical creature[edit]

Non-Imperial Chinese dragon in Shanghai
Mini-Sculpture of a Dragon on top of a temple in Hsinchu, Taiwan
Symbols of dragons were placed in tombs as means to get to heaven.[11] The Walters Art Museum.










Ruler of weather and water[edit]






Symbol of imperial authority[edit]

An imperial robe from the Qing Dynasty

According to Chinese legend, both Chinese primogenitors, the earliest Emperors, Yandi and Huangdi, were closely related to 'Long' (Chinese Dragon). At the end of his reign, the first legendary Emperor, Huangdi, was said to have been immortalized into a dragon that resembled his emblem, and ascended to Heaven. The other legendary Emperor, Huangdi's brother, Yandi was born by his mother's telepathy with a mythic dragon. Since the Chinese consider Huangdi and Yandi as their ancestors, they sometimes refer to themselves as "the descendants of the dragon". This legend also contributed towards the use of the Chinese dragon as a symbol of imperial power.



In contrast, the Empress of China was often identified with the Fenghuang.

Modern belief[edit]


Depictions of the dragon[edit]


Neolithic depictions[edit]


One such early form was the pig dragon. It is a coiled, elongated creature with a head resembling a boar.[14] The character for "dragon" in the earliest Chinese writing has a similar coiled form, as do later jade dragon amulets from the Shang period.

Classical depictions[edit]

Chinese literature and myths refer to many dragons besides the famous long. The linguist Michael Carr analyzed over 100 ancient dragon names attested in Chinese classic texts.[15] Many such Chinese names derive from the suffix -long:

Fewer Chinese dragon names derive from the prefix long-:


Chinese scholars have classified dragons in diverse systems. For instance, Emperor Huizong of Song canonized five colored dragons as "kings".

  • The Azure Dragon [Qinglong 青龍] spirits, most compassionate kings.
  • The Vermillion Dragon [Zhulong 朱龍] spirits, kings that bestow blessings on lakes.
  • The Yellow Dragon [Huanglong 黃龍] spirits, kings that favorably hear all petitions.
  • The White Dragon [Bailong 白龍] spirits, virtuous and pure kings.
  • The Black Dragon [Xuanlong 玄龍] spirits, kings dwelling in the depths of the mystic waters.[16]


9 sons of the dragon[edit]

Pulao in Changchun Temple, Wuhan
Qianlong-era bixi near Marco Polo Bridge, Beijing



  • The [pulao 蒲牢], dragons which like to cry, are represented on the tops of bells, serving as handles.
  • The [qiuniu 囚牛], which like music, are used to adorn musical instruments.
  • The [chaofeng 嘲風], lion-like beasts which like precipices, are placed on the four corners of roofs.
  • The [yazi 睚眦/睚眥], which like to kill, serve as ornaments of sword-grips.
  • The [bixi 贔屭], which have the shape of the [chilong 螭龍], and are fond of literature, are represented on the sides of grave-monuments.
  • The [bi'an 狴犴], which like litigation, are placed over prison gates (in order to keep guard).
  • The [suanni 狻猊], which like to sit down, are represented upon the bases of Buddhist idols (under the Buddhas' or Bodhisattvas' feet).
  • The [baxia 霸下], finally, big tortoises which like to carry heavy objects, are placed under grave-monuments.



2012 600 g silver lunar dragon 9 sons of the dragon father dragon - Reverse.jpg

Oldest known attestation of the "children of the dragon" list is found in the Shuyuan Zaji (椒园杂记, Miscellaneous records from the bean garden) by Lu Rong (1436–1494); however, he noted that the list enumerates mere synonyms of various antiques, not children of a dragon.[19] The 9 sons of the dragon were commemorated by the Shanghai Mint in 2012's year of the dragon with 2 sets of coins, one in silver, and one in brass. Each coin in the sets depicts one of the 9 sons, including an additional coin for the father dragon, which depicts the 9 sons on the reverse.[20]

Dragon claws[edit]

The reverse side of a six-lobed bronze mirror from the 8th century, during the Tang Dynasty (618–907), showing a dragon with three toes on each foot


The five toes rule was first enforced in AD 1336 (Yuan). "(For commoners) It is forbidden to wear any cloth with patterns of Qilin, Male Fenghuang (Chinese phoenix), White rabbit, Lingzhi, Five-Toe Two-Horn Long, Eight Longs, Nine Longs, 'Ten thousand years', Fortune-longevity character and Golden Yellow etc."[21]

Cultural references[edit]

Number nine[edit]




Chinese zodiac[edit]

The Dragon is one of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac which is used to designate years in the Chinese calendar. It is thought that each animal is associated with certain personality traits. Dragon years are usually the most popular to have babies. There are more babies born in Dragon years than in any other animal years of the zodiac[citation needed].



Dragonboat racing[edit]

Main article Dragon boat


Dragon dancing[edit]

Main article Dragon dance


Dragons and nāgas[edit]

Phra Maha Chedi Chai Mongkol Naga emerging from mouth of Makara.jpg


Dragons and tigers[edit]



Chinese dragons in popular culture[edit]

As a part of traditional folklore, dragons appear in a variety of mythological fiction. In the classical story Journey to the West, the son of the Dragon King of the West was condemned to serve as a horse for the travellers because of his indiscretions at a party in the heavenly court. The Monkey King's cudgel Rú Yì Bàng was robbed from the Eastern (Donghai) Dragon King áo guǎng. In Fengshen Yanyi and other stories, Nezha, the boy hero, defeats the Dragon Kings and tames the seas. Chinese dragons also appear in innumerable Japanese anime movies and TV shows, manga, and in Western political cartoons as a personification of the People's Republic of China. The Chinese respect for dragons is emphasized in Naomi Novik's Temeraire novels, where they were the first people to tame dragons and are treated as equals, intellectuals or even royalty, rather than beasts solely bred for war in the West. King Ghidorah from the Godzilla franchise is a three headed arm/mustacheless Chinese dragon who acts as Godzilla's toughest foe. Manda is a large Chinese dragon that appears in the Godzilla storyline. A paper Chinese dragon arrived on the Island of Sodor for a carnival festival in a Season 3 episode of Thomas and Friends. Thomas the Tank Engine's friend, Percy was frightened when it turned up to him twice.

See also[edit]


  2. ^ a b c Sleeboom, Margaret. [2004] (2004). Academic Nations in China and Japan: Framed in concepts of Nature, Culture and the Universal. Routledge publishing. ISBN 0-415-31545-X
  3. ^ "Brand Overview", Brand Hong Kong, 09-2004. Retrieved on 23-02-2007.
  11. ^ "Chinese Dragon". The Walters Art Museum. 
  15. ^ Carr, Michael. 1990. "Chinese Dragon Names", Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area 13.2:87-189. He classified them into seven categories: Rain-dragons, Flying-dragons, Snake-dragons, Wug-dragons [wug refers to "worms, bugs, and small reptiles"], Crocodile-dragons, Hill-dragons, and Miscellaneous dragons.
  16. ^ Adapted from Doré 682.
  18. ^ 吾三省 (Wu Sansheng) (2006), 中國文化背景八千詞 (Eight thousand words and expressions viewed against the background of Chinese culture), 商務印書館(香港) (Commercial Press, Hong Kong), p. 345, ISBN 962-07-1846-1  (Chinese)
  20. ^ CCT4243: 2012 lunar dragon 9 sons of the dragon 20 coin set

External links[edit]