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ORGANIZING IDEA:
Students will understand that the Chinese Dragon, though mythological, was a
symbol of great power--both the powers of nature and the powers of the Emperor--in
China for most of its history.
ORGANIZING QUESTIONS:
1. Are all dragons alike? In what ways do Chinese dragons and the dragons of
Western Europe differ?
2. Why might the dragon come to symbolize both the powers of nature and the
emperor. What do they have in common?
3. Why might artists and writers in China describe a creature they have never
actually seen?
GENERAL OBJECTIVES FOR STUDENTS:
BACKGROUND: (To be shared with class at the beginning)
Recent archaeological discoveries confirm the dragon’s association with
Chinese culture for at least six thousand years. Dragon references occur prominently
in early philosophical texts as well as in the images of shamanistic worship.
One legend has it that six to seven thousand years ago when living conditions
were extremely harsh, the early Chinese believed that certain species of animals
or plants possessed the power to overcome nature’s fury. Different tribes
regarded a particular animal or plant as their totem or common ancestor as well
and the tribe’s special guardian able to provide food and avert disaster
through omens or signs. At that time there were great numbers of tribes scattered
all over China each worshiping its own totem. Among them was a tribe located
in Central China on the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, which
used the snake as its totem. They called the snake “dragon” and owed
their victories in battle to the dragon’s protection. Whenever they conquered
another totemic tribe, they added part of that totem to the snake to show that
they had annexed another tribe. For example, when they annexed the tribe with
a deer totem, the deer’s antlers were added to the head of the snake.
In that way, the dragon finally became the creature of Nine Resemblances:
Head of a camel, horns of a deer, eyes of a hare, ears of a bull, neck of a
snake, belly of a clam, scales of a carp, claws of an eagle, and paws of a tiger.
Additional descriptions added whiskers on each side of its mouth, the voice
of a copper gong, lethal scales which were reversed under the throat and extended
out 12 inches. A later scholar described this dragon of nine resemblances as
having nine rows of nine scales or 81 scales. Nine is an important and lucky
number in China. A large white pearl, often shown in the dragon’s claws
or jaws, was his most precious possession. It gives off a radiant light which
never fades and was the source of his power.
1. MYTH OF THE DRAGON:
Before the beginning of time-- at the time before creation--the dragon (Lung
or Long) is identified as one of the four primary benevolent spiritual animals,
the symbol of all things male as was the sun. The second was the phoenix (feng),
the symbol of all things female. The final 2 were the unicorn and the tortoise.
After the creation of man, Tien Ti, the Emperor of Heaven, observed the wickedness
of man and sent a flood which covered most of the land. Yu, a younger god, took
pity and asked for man’s forgiveness. With Tien Ti’s permission Yu
descended to earth with a giant black tortoise carrying magic soil to absorb
the flood and an emerald scaled dragon whose wings he used to sculpt the land.
For thirty years, he traveled the earth scattering the soil and using the dragon’s
tail to carve out the steppes, mountains, rivers and valleys of China.
2. QUALITIES OF THE DRAGON:
1. Greatest power was that of transformation. The dragon could become a human,
animal or bird, but always retained the nature of a dragon.
2. Dragons is associated with Wisdom-- conferring great blessings on those they
favored.
3. Revered and feared because he is most often associated with the weather and
is also known as the “rain master” His eyes flashed lightening, wings
caused the wind, his breath the rain. The dry season occurred when he was hibernating
in the water which was his natural element. Every river and lake in China boasted
its own dragon.
4. Dragons took thousands of years to achieve full growth. They mated in the
form of snakes, laid eggs near a river or lake. The eggs were huge and round,
like beautiful stones or jewels, and often required a millennium to hatch. Lightening
and thunder accompanied the hatching. An additional 1500 years were required
to achieve full size; 500 more for the horns and another millennium for the
wings, though the dragon could fly without them (a fun math problem!).
5. The dragon was the symbol of the Emperor of China (Supreme ruler of all of
China who rules by the Mandate of Heaven. The Emperor was supposed to have dragon’s
blood in his veins. All of his possessions were given the name of dragon: Dragon
Throne, Dragon Robe, Dragon Boat, Dragon Bed, etc. Only the royal dragon had
five claws. All others had three or four. It was a crime punishable by death
for anyone but the Emperor to possess a dragon with five claws.
6. Dragon is associated with the seasons, He ascended into the sky in the spring
to make rain for the crops and returned to his underwater palace in the fall.
A farming people, the Chinese peasants prayed to the dragon for good harvests,
banging gongs to awaken him in the spring. They brought him offerings and small
images in clay.
7. Dragon kingdom is divided into four departments ruled over by the Dragon
King: Celestial Dragons (Tien-lung) who guarded and supported the heavens,
Spiritual Dragons (Shen-lung) who controlled rain and wind and fed man,
Earth Dragons (Ti-lung) who directed the course of rivers and streams
safely toward the sea and Subterranean Dragons (Fut’s-lung) who
guarded the treasures of the earth, gems, jade, gold. Each dragon type had four
categories. probably associated with growth and age: serpentine, clawed, horned
and winged.
8. Dragons came in many colors also associated with their powers: Azure dragons
were associated with spring, red and black were ferocious, representing storms
in clouds, and yellow dragons were the greatest, like the sun, elusive, august
and solitary. Types and colors of dragons might make an excellent classification
exercise.
9. One legend identified the dragon’s favorite food as swallows, so much
so, in fact, that persons who have had swallow for dinner are advised not to
cross a bridge or go near water lest the dragon scent swallow on the eater’s
breath and gobble him alive. Dragons are easily frightened by the centipede
(often poisonous in China) or by a piece of silk dyed with five colors.
10. Dragons came to be associated with all things relating to the Emperor, with
two holidays-- the Dragon Boat Festival and Chinese New Year. It is one of the
12 signs of the Chinese Zodiac--the year 2000 is the Year of the Dragon.