General Information
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- General Notes
- Physiology and Descriptions
- Life Cycle
- Classifications - Specific
- Classifications - General
- Symbolism
- Colors
- Timeline
- Mating and Familial Structure
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General Notes
- Not all dragons are good. Nor are all dragons evil
- Lung Tik Chuan Ren or Long De Chuan Ren means descendents of the Dragon
- Worship of dragons was held at various temples and pagodas dedicated to the dragons. Almost every body of water and waterway had its dragon protector.
- Many Emperors have claimed to have dragon ancestry, and many things associated with the emporers have dragon names (ie. dragon-throne, etc), a practice which began during the Manchu dynasty. Some people believed the emperors could change themselves into dragons.
- Dragons bring the essence of life, called the "celestial breath" or sheng chi
- The saying that something has jumped through the "dragon's gate" implies that it has achieve some greatness. For carp, it means they have become dragons. For students, it means they have passed some exam
- Dragons are a major force in the Chinese Zodiac. Please visit www.crystalinks.com/chinadragons.html for more information. Cross reference Race for the Zodiac
- Some legends say the dragons could cause drought by gathering all the water into baskets or blocking out the sun. See A Drought and Its Cause.
- The I Ching uses dragons alot in its fortune telling (calling dragons the bringer of thunderstorms), and some say that the Lung's origins are in the oracle bones of Shang and I-Ching. The first hexagram describes the "six stages by which the dragon ascends". Said to have been brought by the Yellow Dragon
- Live in palaces under the sea decorated with gold and silver
- Afraid of: iron (it binds them), beeswax, centipedes, tigers, and 5-coloured silk. Also, wang plant and lien tree leaves
- One of the 4 benevolent Spiritual Beings (Others are Phoenix, Unicorn, and Tortoise)
- Chief of all scaly beings
- First associated with rain in the 2000-1000 BC Are featured in rain rituals dating from the 6th century BC
- Ordinary Dragons (mang) represent physical and not spiritual power
- The New Year's Dragon celebrations are to repel evil from the coming year
- Some sources group dragons into groups of 9
- Many will bless humans freely
- Some say there's a dragon in all water - from the smallest drop to the largest ocean
- Seeing a dragon was good luck
- Ruler of Heaven gave dragons to pull their dynastic chariots: Hsia got 2, Shang got 3, and Chou had 4. Yu, founder of the Hea Dynasty had a carriage drawn by 2 dragons.
- Is sometimes associated with vampyrism. "a tiger-headed dragon with the body of a snake seizes human beings, covers them with saliva, and sucks blood from under their armpits". Yum.
- Ghosts and dead souls were transported by dragons
- Emperor Yaou was a dragon's son
- "the horned and winged dragon of China [may be] a combination of the original secretary bird [of Africa] and the snake"
- Shen - a mythical water dragon resembling a crocodile
- "the evil dragons are those introduced by the Buddhists, who applied the current dragon legends to the nagas inhabiting the mountains. These mountain nagas, or dragons (perhaps originally dreaded mountain tribes), are harmful..." Ancient Tales and Folklore of China, pg 208.
- May have been originally associated with rain since rain is beneficial and other natural occurances are frightening.
- Myths may go back to the 33rd century BC or 2853 BC - when Fu Hsi says the yellow horse dragon rises from the Lo River. References date to 2700 bc, 1600-1100 BC, the Shang Period.
- March is Dragon Month
- fully of yang or "heavenly virtue"
- dragons fighting caused storms and the people were more afraid of the flooding than the gods' attempts to break it up with lightning
- Glass was thought to be solidified breath
- Buddha was a dragon slayer according to some sources.
- Dragon herbs thought to be associated with dragon's odor and increase vitality.
- Some most beautiful stones are called dragon eggs
- Often linked with Polynesian shark gods because both have pearls
- Linked to the the Celtic versions through first, the Byzantine Empire (called Fu-Lin by the Chinese Chroniclers), then by Aegean influences who have traces of Celtic / Gaelic Scotland
- Thunderstorms are often called "dragon battles" and superstition says that no human must watch these battles else the dragon might notice the human and come after him instead. There are similarities between these battles and those of the goddess, Bride of Scotland (another serpent), who awakens in the spring on February 1.
- Wandering lights, sometimes seen on the mountains, were caused by dragons
- Pine trees are sometimes associated - "By night 'dragon lanterns' (gnis fatuus) is seen on pine trees and ship masts" (China and Japan, pg 83)
- Celestial Breath is known as sheg chi - the dragon essence of life
- The Imperial court would call men who sought dragon wisdom "four-men" (Foemen) - implying that they spoke only to the inferior 4-toed dragons
- P'an Ku, who made the world and universe for 18,000 years, had a dragon, unicorn, tortoise, and a phoenix as helpers.
- "'The Dragon Tablet'" ... from Yunnan combines Islamic and Chinese features, in this case a Chinese dragon cult with Islamic ritual prayers for rain .... " (Source: "Mythology and Folklore of the Hui: A Muslim Chinese People")
- Taoism was codified around 500 BC and Confusius taught his students that Lao Tzu had met a dragon
- In S Chinese tales, the fish pond and water dragon are both symbols of the water god.
- Tou Mu, Goddess of the North Star, has a dragon's head
- "Lo Hsiian was originally a Taoist priest known as Yen-Chung Hsien, of the island Huo-lung, 'Fire Dragon'" (Source: Ancient Tales and Folklore of China)
- Sea Dragonsa are sacred to Hung Sheng, the Holy One. Hung Sheng also protects fishing boats.
- There is a jade tablet in the sky that has the number of all the dragons in the East
- The first chinese ruler had a dragon's tail
- Wuzhiqui = Chinese Hydra
- Legends say that all the water of the world is connected
- Dragons, snakes and tortoises were demoted to the water when Shangdi, the Lord on High and high ancestor
- Tail is turned upwards in calligraphy
- Bhotias, the people of Bhutan in the Eastern Himalayas in S Aisa, call themselves Drakpas or "dragon people"
- In eastern cultures, dragons interlocked would be used to symbolize sex
- The Arowana, the Dragon Fish, has scales that looks like the dragon and are kept as good luck symbols in many businesses.
- Regular dragons have 4 claws - Imperial dragons have 5. This was not always so - it may be a convention brought about by repeating images. Emperor's family used 4 claws and the nobility used 3 clawed images.
- Sung Dynasty: 10th century AD - 3 claws
- Ming Dynasty - 4 claws and sometimes 5
- Ching Dynasty - 5 claws
- Mang = conventional 4 clawed mandarin dragons
- Generally described as: Head of a Camel, Eyes of a Demon, Ears of a Cow or Bull, Horns of a Stag, Neck of a Lizard or Snake, Feet of a Tiger, Claws of an Eagle, 117 scales of a Carp. Long canine teeth appear to be whiskers at first glance. Variations include beards, the belly of a frog or clam, eyes of a rabbit
- 81 of the scales are Ying (good), the other 36 are Yang (evil). The scales reverse direction under the neck.
- The Chi'ih or Ch'ih Muh is a swelling on the head that makes the wingless versions able to fly. Like a gas-bag.
- Dragons could also carry the po-shan staff to fly.
- Males carry the Dragon's Pearl under their chins. This pearl is described as perfect and lit from within. It multiplies anything it touches, can be used for illumination, and a hundred other things. Very sought after. Read Xiao Sheng and the Dragons Pearl
- Some sources say they could shape and size change at will, and that they could change color. Including a tree root (which one man ran into) and weapons. They could not change when angry or if they were planning vengeance on another.
- Possibly originated from the cross between snake and pig
- Some have 2 long whiskers on their face, for feeling
- Body is 3 jointed parts: head - shoulders / shoulders - breast / breast - tail
- Males: undulating horns that are thinner at the base, clubbed tails
- Females: straight horn, thicker tail, balanced mane, sometimes holds fans
- All are deaf and have no ears. Organ of hearing may be the horns.
- Aggressive Buddhists helped / encouraged the change from the smooth, bearded ch'ih - lung of the ancients to the more modern / demonized versions. Sometimes this was by mistake, but not always
- Buddhists had also added the back - ridge, bird's feet, cats' claws, and tufts of hair in an effort to frighten people from the north
- Ch'ih lung have branched tails with one side shorter than the other.
- Ying-Lung have no scales
- Started with fish scales and beards and the other features were added later
As Explained by Shuiki
- 1-499 yrs - Water Snake
- 500-999 yrs - kiao
- 1000-1499 yrs - kiao-lung (dragons with fish scales)
- 1500-2499 yrs - kioh-lung (dragons with horns)
- 2500-death - Ying-lung (dragons with wings)
- P'an lung in Japan are coiled dragons that have ascended to heaven
- 1-999 yrs - gemlike egg
- 1000-1499 - Water Snake
- slowly grows the head of a carp and is called a kiao
- 1500-2500 - grows limbs, scales, beard
- 2501-3000 - grows horns and can hear
- 3001-4000 - grows wings and matures
- Young dragons looked like snakes
- +500 years - giant snakes with carp heads
- +500 years - got 4 legs, and a bearded reptile head
- +500 years - got horns
- +500 years - got wings
Specific Types
- Imperial Dragons:
- 5 claws
- Official Dragon of the Emperor
- If anyone other than the Emperor was caught using its image, they would be put to death.
- Celestial Dragons:
- guard the heavens
- Tien-Lung "Heaven Deaf"
- Spiritual Dragons:
- Rule wind, rain, and flood, and controls the weather
- Shen-Lung: described as powerful and lazy, and will sometimes transform into a mouse and hide from work.
- Is linked with Ti-Lung, the earth dragon, as the Wang-Lung (water deity).
- The official "New Year's Dragon" that appears in parades.
- Multi-colored
- One source says this is the one with the 5 claws.
- Earth Dragons:
- Clears the rivers and deepens the oceans
- Ti-Lung: is linked with Shen-Lung as the Wang-Lung (water deity)
- Spends springs in heaven and autumns in the sea
- Treasure-Guarding Dragons: guard the treasures deep in the earth
Fut's-Lung or Chen Lung - Coiling Dragon:
- Lives in the water
- Pan Lung
- Yellow Dragon:
- The First Dragon
- Also used by the Emperor
- Taught the Emperor Fu Shi how to write
- Some consider this a class of dragons
- Brought the 8 Trigrams of I Ching on its back
- Another was predatory and monstrous and was killed by Lu Tung-pin (one of the 8 Immortal Holy Ones).
- Dragon Kings:
- 4 dragons that rule over the cardinal directions
- Would distribute the Emperor's orders in the 4 directions at the same time while remaining in the center
- Also presided over the Division of Salt waters in the Ministry of Waters.
- Physical: 5 feet (1 in the center) with 5 claws each, glowing yellow scales, beard, hairy tail, shaggy legs, protruding forehead, small thick ears. Wingless.
- Telepathic with the other dragon kings
- Immortal
- Goes to heaven annually in the 3rd month.
- Lung = dragons of the sky (tien lung, shen lung, li lung)
- Li = dragons of the sea
- Kiau = dragons of the marshes
- Horned Dragon / Lung: completely deaf
- Winged Dragon:
- Homeless / Li: lives in the oceans
- Scale-covered / Chiao: lived in marshes, rivers, streams and mountain dens. Its back was striped with green, sides of yellow, and red underbelly, and looked like a snake with a tiger's head, bull parts. Trapped men in the marshes and sucked their blood through their armpits. Did not fly.
- One-legged dragon = Qui / Yizhu Qui
- Generally thought of as peaceful and lucky, as well as the bringers of rain and fertility
- Male principal
- May be combined with the Pheonix to mean long life and prosperity
- May be combined with the Tiger to mean heaven and earth or Yin and Yang
- When 2 are combined, but face away from each other, it is the symbol of eternity
- Yellow - Superior, Imperial, last month of summer, spleen and stomach
- Blue (and Green) - Spring, East, liver and gallbladder; chief spirit of the spring
- Red - Storms, South, most of the summer months, heart and large intestine
- Black - Storms, North, drought season, kidney and bladder
- White - West, autumn
- Neolithic Period: First appearance on Chinese utensils
- 16th - 11th centuries BC (Yin and Shang Dynasties): Dragon symbol first appeared, with the signs of evil and violence above. Description included horned, reptile, teeth, scales, and occasionally claws. Historians have concluded they meant an alligator. Also during the Yin dynasty, bronze vessels included sketches of primitive and crude dragons
- ~2000 BC: scales, ridges, and horns appear. Also acquires ability to produce rain
- ~500 BC: Opinions begin to diverge: ie tornadoes were either caused by or were dragons and dragons were either gods or regular animals
- 3rd Century BC: dragons couldn't fly without wind or rain
- 2nd Century BC: Pre-Buddhist Ch'ih lung
- ~100BC to AD100: Dragon ancestry promoted - became the symbol of Luck and the Emperor
- 400: Associated with Water - helped by a Buddhist Legend
- 1000: Painting dragons became a popular form of praying for rain
- 1300: Rulers tried to limit the use of dragons and dragon art by the commoners and were generally ignored. 5 Clawed dragons made Imperial and 3- and 4-clawed dragons renamed pythons for common use
- The Times in Malta reported in May 25, 1995, that Chinese archeologiests found dragon bones around Ziangyi City, Guizhou province. - Source Answers in Genesis.
- "Some of the recently unearthed bronze vessels of the Yin Dynasty, which existed more than 3000 years ago, are decorated with sketches of dragons in crude form." (Source: Chinavista)
- The Chinese Dragon page dates them to 6,000 to 7,000 years ago
- Winged dragons began appearing around the Han dynasty, but they were later discarded as old-fashioned
- Male dragons will mate with other species: Dragon + Pig = Elephant. Dragon + Mare = Racehorse
- Ko-ji-ki: AD 712, Shinto in Japanese
- Nihon-gi: AD 720 in Chinese
- 17th Century Ming Dynasty illustrated enclyclopedia San-is 'ai t'ui-hui or Threefold Picture Book. Reprinted in both China and Japan (early 18th century, named Waken Sansai Zue or Sino-Japanese Threefold Picture Book).
- Chinese Book of Rites
- K'uei dragon is depicted in an ancient Chinese bronze statue
To Read about Chinese dragons in Dragon Magic, Visit DragonCove.
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