Dragons in China

Grant and Erik Rauterkus looked for many examples of Dragons in

China.

Introduction• The pictures are organized by the cities where they

were taken.• Dragons represent power. When there were still

emperors, only the emperor could wear the sign of the dragon or have the dragon on his buildings.

• The most powerful dragons will always be seen holding a ball (symbolizing the world) in one of their feet.

• The Phoenix (mythical bird) was the sign of the emperess.

• The Turtle with a Dragon head combines the symbol of power with the symbol of long life. This is a favored symbol of the emperors.

• We’ve included one other mythical creature at the end.

Jade Factory, Beijing

Cloisonne Factory, Beijing

• The next pictures are all from a restaurant in Beijing.

• These were panels on the walls.

Forbidden City, BeijingMarble carving of dragons. They had to slide this piece of marble on ice to

get it all the way to Beijing.

Temple of Heaven, Beijing

• Dragons at the Ming Tombs

Emperor’s clothes

Emperor’s pouch for bow and arrows

Xi’an

• Xi’an is where the Terra Cotta Warriors are found.

Winter Palace, Xi’an

Shopping in Xi’an

Store in Xi’an. These are kites.

Xi’an Many cities and temples

have bell towers and

drum towers. They mark the

time of the day.Dragons in part of the

roof.

Dragons in Chengdu

• Chengdu is the city that Erik and Grant lived in. This is a city of 9.8 million people.

Extras

• Phoenix

• Turtle with Dragon Head

• Mythical Beasts

The phoenix is an imaginary bird and is the symbol of women in China.

This is a turtle with a dragon’s head. The turtle is the symbol of long life and the dragon is the symbol of power. The emperor wanted

both.

Turtle with the dragon head at Ming Tombs. It was good luck to rub his

nose.

Turtle’s “feet”

Mythical beasts guarding Ming Tombs

The girl. The baby is under her foot.

The boy. See the ball under

his foot?