Dragon has always been a strange mythical creature which has been a part of life in eastern Asia. Actually it was adopted from the Chinese folk lore. Ancient dragon has been described and given a form of serpent with a scaly body except for the fact that unlike a serpent it has four legs and each foot has five claws.
Like China Europeans too have their dragons but they have different physical qualities and also in their meaning as European dragon has negative implications.
The Chinese dragon on the other hand has assumedadopted both roles of good and evil throughout Chinese history. But more than anything else the symbol of the dragon represents divine power according to ancient folklore and art from China.
The Chinese dragon has been revered and held in great awe by the Chinese people as the history suggests number of unique qualities of the dragon. It is believed that it is the Chinese male symbol of yang. The other belief is that it is the carrier of rain and water to places where people are dependent on agriculture.
A least known fact is that Chinese dragon has a female counter part. This not so well known being is known as phoenix. As a matter of fact the westerners take it for granted that the Chinese dragon stands for China itself. This fact is not true at all.
However going through Chinese history you will find that Chinese dragon symbol undoubtedly was associated to the Chinese monarchy. The Yuan dynasty emperor would not allow any subject to use this symbol in their life. During Qing dynasty the Chinese dragon was brought back into public life by adopting it on the national flag.
China has deliberately and badly tried to distance itself from the dragon symbol due to the negative political connotations associated with it. Because the image of the dragon had a threatening war like perception in the eyes of the west the Chinese wanted to replace that image with a softer symbol. The alternate was the giant panda which is now taken as the emblem of China.
The people of China is however still very fond of the Chinese dragon symbol and in fact many of them refer to themselves as descendants of the dragon with regards to their ethnic uniqueness. The 1970s saw a trend where nations were ascribing themselves with a certain animal like the Mongols with the wolf and the Tibetans with the monkey.
The Chinese dragon symbol still occupies a special place in modern Chinese society. More than anything else however it is used solely for decorative purposes. From advertisement campaigns to T-shirts, posters and tattoos the symbol of the dragon can be seen throughout the streets of China.
Like China Europeans too have their dragons but they have different physical qualities and also in their meaning as European dragon has negative implications.
The Chinese dragon on the other hand has assumedadopted both roles of good and evil throughout Chinese history. But more than anything else the symbol of the dragon represents divine power according to ancient folklore and art from China.
The Chinese dragon has been revered and held in great awe by the Chinese people as the history suggests number of unique qualities of the dragon. It is believed that it is the Chinese male symbol of yang. The other belief is that it is the carrier of rain and water to places where people are dependent on agriculture.
A least known fact is that Chinese dragon has a female counter part. This not so well known being is known as phoenix. As a matter of fact the westerners take it for granted that the Chinese dragon stands for China itself. This fact is not true at all.
However going through Chinese history you will find that Chinese dragon symbol undoubtedly was associated to the Chinese monarchy. The Yuan dynasty emperor would not allow any subject to use this symbol in their life. During Qing dynasty the Chinese dragon was brought back into public life by adopting it on the national flag.
China has deliberately and badly tried to distance itself from the dragon symbol due to the negative political connotations associated with it. Because the image of the dragon had a threatening war like perception in the eyes of the west the Chinese wanted to replace that image with a softer symbol. The alternate was the giant panda which is now taken as the emblem of China.
The people of China is however still very fond of the Chinese dragon symbol and in fact many of them refer to themselves as descendants of the dragon with regards to their ethnic uniqueness. The 1970s saw a trend where nations were ascribing themselves with a certain animal like the Mongols with the wolf and the Tibetans with the monkey.
The Chinese dragon symbol still occupies a special place in modern Chinese society. More than anything else however it is used solely for decorative purposes. From advertisement campaigns to T-shirts, posters and tattoos the symbol of the dragon can be seen throughout the streets of China.
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Ancient Chinese dragon symbols are a deeply rooted part of Chinese culture. To read more on Chinese alphabet writing please follow the hyperlinks.
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