All things have a story...
The Chinese dragon has existed in China, at least as an idea, for over 2,000 years. It began at least as far back as 400 BC, during the Warring States period, when archeologists found a dragon carved from jade. The origin of the mythical Chinese dragon is uncertain, however, it is thought that the great creature sprung from several different tribes. Some scholars believe the Chinese dragon to be an exaggerated depiction of several real animals, including certain reptiles, fish and snakes. The scholar He Xin believes that the early Chinese dragon was actually a crocodile. He postulates that since crocodiles can sense air pressure and impending rain, this may have been the basis for the dragon’s legendary ability to influence the weather, especially rain. Still other scholars have postulated that the Chinese dragon is an amalgam of different animals, which may explain why it takes on the aspect of several existing animals. The fist Emperor of China, Huang Di (The Yellow Emperor) was said to have used a snake as his seal. Each time he won a battle, he may have used an idea from the emblem of his enemy in his own. The great Han Dynasty scholar Wang Fu said that dragons with long bodies have nine anatomical parts, including among others, the eyes of a demon, the claws of an eagle and the horns of a stag. The Chinese dragon is also said to be mostly a yang creature, and it is this excess positive energy that causes it to be aggressive and sometimes destructive. From ancient times, the Chinese believed that storms, floods and raging ocean waves were caused by someone aggravating a dragon somewhere. As time went on, the Chinese dragon’s powers grew from just controlling the weather to being able to do anything from making itself invisible to turn itself into fire or water. While some Chinese wish to believe that the dragon is real, in all probability it never existed and just grew as a myth down through the centuries. It has been the feature of Chinese art work for a long time and at present is one of the most popular icons of China.
|