All things have a story...
The Oriental dragon is a mythological being that is typically thought of a reptilian or snake-like creature. It has four legs and blows fire from its mouth. Unlike the European dragon, the Chinese dragon is seen as benevolent and not evil. The dragon of China has long been a symbol of power, authority and strength. The Chinese dragon also embodies the ideal of "yang" – which is the male or active half of existence. The female or passive side is called "yin" and is typically expressed in the mythological phoenix. Often the dragon and phoenix will be depicted together, which is symbolic of the philosophy of yin and yang permeating the universe. The origin of the Asian dragon is not clearly known. Some believe that the people of ancient China saw large lizards and equated them with being mystical dragons. Other people have seen the bones and fossils of dinosaurs and equated them with the mythological dragon. The dragon has a long history in China. It was originally used as a symbol or emblem by the emperor of China during the Yuan dynasty. The common people were not allowed to associate themselves with the dragon and perhaps this is why the dragon became so well respected. Later, during the Qing dynasty, the Chinese dragon appeared on national flags. As far back as the Han dynasty, dragons have been depicted with the anatomical parts of other animals and creatures – as many as nine. The Chinese dragon is also said to control the weather and the seas. The Chinese believe that the dragon needs to be appeased and Buddhists actually thought the dragon could be evil and cause storms, floods and bad weather. The Buddhists even portended that dragons were the cause of some of the most destructive floods in Chinese history. Today the dragon is seen as a mythological creature and sign of power more than anything else. It is an extremely popular icon in mainstream culture, both East and West, and dragon artwork, dragon tattoos and dragon films pervade society.
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