Chinese Dragon
The Chinese Dragon
was created from the ancient Chinese mythology. It is shaped as a
long, scaled, snake-like creature with five claws. While the Western
dragon has four legs being depicted as evil, the Chinese dragon is
portrayed as an auspicious power in Chinese folktales and art.
Traditionally, the Chinese dragon also personifies the concept of
Yang (male) and is being related to the weather as the source of
rain and water in an agricultural and water-driven country of China.
The female counterpart of Yang is referred to as the Fenghuang.
According to certain
scholars, the Chinese dragon is said to be originated from totems of
different Chinese tribes. Many scholars believe that the Chinese
dragon is a potent symbol of existing animals, such as snakes,
reptiles, crocodiles or fishes. In the West, the dragon is
considered the national emblem of China unlike in Taiwan, where this
usage in the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of
China (ROC) is extraordinary. In the earlier times, the Chinese
dragon was considered the symbol of the Emperor of China. With the
inception of the Yuan Dynasty, regular citizens were prohibited from
associating themselves with this symbol. Later, the dragon was made
to appear on national flags during the Qing Dynasty.
Since the Chinese
dragon has strong and martial connotations, the Chinese government
prefers the giant panda to be used as the national emblem instead of
the dragon within China. However, in Hong Kong, Brand Hong Kong,
which symbolizes the international branding fro Hong Kong, uses the
dragon for its design structure.
The term Descendants
of the Dragon came into being during 1970s while choosing different
animals for nation representations. The Chinese people use this term
to symbolize ethnic identity in China. The Mongols during that
period chose the Wolf as their national symbol, while Tibetans
preferred to use Monkey as their national symbol.
Besides, the Chinese
dragon today is also being used for decorative purposes within
China. At the same time, it is forbidden to be used against the
depiction of the dragon for various purposes. For instance, a recent
advertisement by Nike featuring the American basketball player
LeBron James slaying a dragon was instantly banned by the Chinese
government in response to the public protest over contempt of
national emblem.
Chinese dragons are
also allied with water as a strong belief that they are the rulers
of moving water bodies, such as waterfalls, seas, or rivers. In fact
today, Dragon Kings are worshipped as rulers of water and weather in
many parts of China, and is strongly embedded in Chinese cultural
practices, such as dragon kites.
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