Scotland-China Association

By Graham Thompson, Website Editor, 30 December 2011

The Year of the Dragon began on 23 January 2012 (see our other article here, and also our Home page for our special dragon greetings cards). in this article, we give you some insights into this most traditional of Chinese mythical animals.

Chinese dragon lore

The dragon figures prominently in Chinese myth and legend and Chinese art. There were said to be dragons for the four corners of the universe and one for its centre, as well as four dragons for the seas, the dragon of rain and clouds, the earth dragon, the dragon of hidden treasures, amongst others.

In geographic terms, dragons are normally associated with rivers or mountains, as well as, more generally, with water and thunder. Indeed, thunderstorms were sometimes believed to be the sound of dragons fighting. The beasts were seen as both preservers and destroyers, just as water can be both.

It was also regarded as a symbol of empire and all things imperial - the "dragon seat" was the emperor's throne, the "dragon pen" was the emperor's autograph, and the old flag of imperial China usually featured a dragon. Traditionally, the imperial dragon has five claws, and no subject was allowed to portray a dragon with more than four.

Our photos show the pre-1911 Imperial Dragon flag ; a detail of the famous Nine Dragon Wall in Beijing ; and a dragon dance performance.



It's worth noting that while in European culture, dragons are usually associated with evil, perhaps related to the biblical serpent story from the Garden of Eden, Chinese dragons are generally more benevolent. In addition, Chinese dragons are usually shown without wings, as a long serpent-like creature.

The dragon as your animal

According to various Chinese zodiac guides, people born in the Year of the Dragon are said to be born to be leaders, gifted with power and luck, outspoken, animated, ardent for love, assertive, extroverted, idealists, stubborn, dynamic, generous, brave, and innovative...take your pick ! Many Chinese families will probably be hoping for a "dragon child" to be born during the year.

The dragon in modern China

The dragon is often used in modern political and journalistic parlance as a shorthand for China the country, often by those who see it as a threat of some kind. For example, a few recent online news stories have been titled "Hidden dragon - the Chinese cyber menace", "The dragon goes shopping in Latin America", and "Is the dragon threatening the eagle's lunch in Africa ?" (double animal reference there !). It's a popular image for book titles, too, such as Silicon Dragon, on China's technological advances, or Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ?, on China's role in Africa.

Even China's own state media are occasionally not averse to this - for example, China Daily headlined a recent article "Year of Dragon likely to present fiery issues", and there have been references to the "inflation dragon" - but generally the modern Chinese state prefers softer images, such as pandas, to represent the country. There has even been a controversy about the design of the special Year of the Dragon stamp, according to this Wall Street Journal article.

On the other hand, the private sector has no qualms at all about using dragon-related branding - it's popular for company names, such as Dragon TV in Shanghai ; Xiamen Gold Dragon Bus ; New Dragon Asia, which makes noodles ; and Net Dragon, which produces online games, to name a few.

And of course it's being used extensively as a product or advertising item at the moment, such as this shopping centre dragon in Harbin ; crystal dragons in a Shanghai store ; or even a solid gold dragon in a Hong Kong shop. If you need a gift for a Chinese friend or business associate this year, you can't go wrong with a dragon - although they don't have to be gold !

Equally, the geographical reference is sometimes found, as in the use of the term "Dragon's Head" for the city of Shanghai, at the mouth of the Yangtze River. In another example, when Shanghai's elevated roadways were being built in the mid-1990s, the location of the crossing of the east-west Yan'an elevated road and the north-south elevated road causes some problems when engineers found they could not drill into a large rock formation. Some said this was a dragon's back. A local feng shui expert was brought in to help, and he is said to have persuaded the dragon to move onto a specially decorated pillar supporting where the roads cross. Superstition perhaps, but a clear indication that the dragon's influence remains strong in 21st century China.