Dragon is one of the most commonly accepted mythical creatures which has been an significant part of the East Asian way of life. The creation of this beautiful creature comes originally from China. The body of dragon is scaly like any other serpent but it also has four legs with big foot and five claws on each claw.
Like China Europeans too have their dragons but they have different physical attributes and also in their meaning as European dragon has negative implications.
The Chinese dragon on the other hand has assumedadopted both roles of good and evil throughout Chinese history. But more than anything else the symbol of the dragon represents auspicious power according to ancient folklore and art from China.
The Chinese dragon has been revered and held in great awe by the Chinese people as the history suggests number of positive qualities of the dragon. It is believed that it is the Chinese male symbol of yang. The other belief is that it is the carrier of rain and water to places where people are dependent on agriculture.
A least known fact is that Chinese dragon has a female counter part. This not so well known creature is known as phoenix. As a matter of fact the westerners take it for granted that the Chinese dragon represents China itself. This fact is not true at all.
It is true that the Chinese dragon figure was used to symbolize the emperor of China in the good old days. In fact throughout the Yuan Dynasty no civilian was even allowed to associate themselves with the symbol of the dragon. The Qing Dynasty however brought the Chinese dragon symbol back into action as it started appearing on the national flag during those times.
China has deliberately and badly tried to distance itself from the dragon symbol due to the negative political connotations associated with it. Because the image of the dragon had a threatening war like perception in the eyes of the west the Chinese wanted to replace that image with a softer symbol. The alternate was the giant panda which is now taken as the emblem of China.
The people of China is however still very fond of the Chinese dragon symbol and in fact many of them refer to themselves as descendants of the dragon with regards to their ethnic identity. The 1970s saw a trend where nations were ascribing themselves with a certain animal like the Mongols with the wolf and the Tibetans with the monkey.
The Chinese dragon symbol still holds a special position in modern Chinese society. More than anything else however it is used mainly for decorative purposes. From advertisement campaigns to T-shirts, posters and tattoos the symbol of the dragon can be seen throughout the streets of China. - 31989
Like China Europeans too have their dragons but they have different physical attributes and also in their meaning as European dragon has negative implications.
The Chinese dragon on the other hand has assumedadopted both roles of good and evil throughout Chinese history. But more than anything else the symbol of the dragon represents auspicious power according to ancient folklore and art from China.
The Chinese dragon has been revered and held in great awe by the Chinese people as the history suggests number of positive qualities of the dragon. It is believed that it is the Chinese male symbol of yang. The other belief is that it is the carrier of rain and water to places where people are dependent on agriculture.
A least known fact is that Chinese dragon has a female counter part. This not so well known creature is known as phoenix. As a matter of fact the westerners take it for granted that the Chinese dragon represents China itself. This fact is not true at all.
It is true that the Chinese dragon figure was used to symbolize the emperor of China in the good old days. In fact throughout the Yuan Dynasty no civilian was even allowed to associate themselves with the symbol of the dragon. The Qing Dynasty however brought the Chinese dragon symbol back into action as it started appearing on the national flag during those times.
China has deliberately and badly tried to distance itself from the dragon symbol due to the negative political connotations associated with it. Because the image of the dragon had a threatening war like perception in the eyes of the west the Chinese wanted to replace that image with a softer symbol. The alternate was the giant panda which is now taken as the emblem of China.
The people of China is however still very fond of the Chinese dragon symbol and in fact many of them refer to themselves as descendants of the dragon with regards to their ethnic identity. The 1970s saw a trend where nations were ascribing themselves with a certain animal like the Mongols with the wolf and the Tibetans with the monkey.
The Chinese dragon symbol still holds a special position in modern Chinese society. More than anything else however it is used mainly for decorative purposes. From advertisement campaigns to T-shirts, posters and tattoos the symbol of the dragon can be seen throughout the streets of China. - 31989
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Chinese dragon symbols are considered to be auspicious and fortunate in Chinese culture. To read more on Chinese kanji characters click on the hyperlinks.
