Chinese Dragons(Lung/Long)

Three Questions

• What are Chinese dragons?

• What do Chinese dragons do?

• Why are Chinese dragons important?

Physical Features

• The ears of an ox.• The horns of a deer.• The eyes of a hare.• The belly of a clam.

All Chinese dragons have:

•The head of a camel.•The neck and tail of a snake.•The scales of a fish.•The paws of a tiger.•The claws of an eagle.

The Pearl/BallThe Pearl/BallA symbol of wisdom and yang (positive) energy, the pearl has many meanings; one of the most common is that it represents the moon, which is “born anew” every month.

What Do Dragons Do?

• Guardians– Control water, rainfall, floods, and hurricanes– Often placed on the tops of buildings to ward

off fires

Legend of the Four Dragons

As an ultimate act of guardianship, the dragons became rivers:

•Heilongjian (Black Dragon)

•Huanghe (Yellow Dragon)

•Changjiang (Long Dragon)

•Zhujiang (Pearl Dragon)

Royalty Symbols– The emperors are said to be descendants

of dragons– Only emperors can wear or display five-

fingered dragons. Important people can use four-fingered dragons, and commoners used three.

Cultural SymbolsWestern Dragons Eastern Dragons

Associated with fear, evil, kidnapping princesses, and

even the devil

Associated with wisdom, protection,

and good luck

Remember that different cultures often view things in new ways!

Pulao, the bell dragon (likes to roar)

Qiuniu, the instrument dragon

(likes music)

Chiwen, the roof dragon (likes to swallow evil

influences)

Chao Feng, the precipice dragon (likes to take risks)

Yazi, the sword dragon (likes to kill)

Bixi and Baxia, the grave dragons (like literature and carrying heavy loads)

Bian, the prison dragon (likes justice)

Suanni, the incense dragon (likes sitting, especially near smoke)

Why are Dragons Important?• Part of creation story

– Dragons hold the weight of the sky– The creator is part dragon

• Taught humanity many important things– Art– Music

• Emperors are the descendants of dragons• The lucky number 9

– Nine is strongly associated with the Chinese dragon, a symbol of magic and power. There are nine forms of the dragon, it is described in terms of nine attributes, and it has nine children. It has 117 scales; 81 yang (masculine, heavenly) and 36 yin (feminine, earthly). All three numbers are multiples of 9 (9x13=117, 9x9=81, 9x4=36) and add up individually to 9 (1+1+7=9, 8+1=9, 3+6=9).

Resources

Sources•http://www.ninedragonbaguazhang.com/dragons.htm

•http://www.lifepaths360.com/index.php/dragons-mythical-creature-chinese-legends-13696/

•http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/social_customs/dragon_lion.htm

•http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0215373/

Additional Cool Stuff:Read the Legend of the Four Dragons: http://www.fourdragonskwc.com/id22.html

Watch a video retelling of the dragon legend: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01UQ0IWxC6E