CHINESE DRAGONS
Chinese people around the world, proudly proclaim themselves "Lung Tik Chuan Ren" (Descendants of the Dragon).
Dragons are referred to as the divine mythical creature that brings with it ultimate abundance, prosperity and good fortune. Its benevolence signifies greatness, goodness and blessings.
The Chinese Dragon, or Lung, symbolizes power and excellence, valiancy and boldness, heroism and perseverance, nobility and divinity. A dragon overcomes obstacles until success is his. He is energetic, decisive, optimistic, intelligent and ambitious.
Unlike the the negative energies associated with Western Dragons, most Eastern Dragons are beautiful, friendly, and wise. They are the angels of the Orient. Instead of being hated, they are loved and worshipped. Temples and shrines have been built to honor them, for they control the rain, rivers, lakes, and seas. Many Chinese cities have pagodas where people used to burn incense and pray to dragons. Dragon shrines and altars can still be seen in many parts of the Far East. They are usually along seashores and riverbanks, because most Eastern Dragons live in water.
Everything connected with Eastern Dragons is blessed. Eastern Dragons are vain, even though they are wise. They are insulted when a ruler doesn't follow their advice, or when people do not honor their importance. Then, by thrashing about, dragons either stop making rain and cause water shortages, or they breathe black clouds that bring storms and floods. Small dragons do minor mischief, such as making roofs leak, or causing rice to be sticky.
The Dragon brings upon the essence of life, in the form of its celestial breath, known to many as sheng chi. He yields life and bestows its power in the form of the seasons, bringing water from rain, warmth from the sunshine, wind from the seas and soil from the earth. The Dragon is the ultimate representation of the forces of Mother Nature. The greatest divine force on Earth.
The Chinese Dragon is often seen as the symbol of divine protection and vigilance. It is regarded as the Supreme Being amongst all creatures. It has the ability to live in the seas, fly up the heavens and coiled up in the land in the form of mountains. Being the divine mythical animal, the Dragon can ward off wandering evil spirits, protect the innocent and bestow safety to all that hold his emblem. The Chinese Dragon is look upon as the ultimate symbol of Good Fortune.
Dragons are referred to as the divine mythical creature that brings with it ultimate abundance, prosperity and good fortune. Its benevolence signifies greatness, goodness and blessings.
The Chinese Dragon, or Lung, symbolizes power and excellence, valiancy and boldness, heroism and perseverance, nobility and divinity. A dragon overcomes obstacles until success is his. He is energetic, decisive, optimistic, intelligent and ambitious.
Unlike the the negative energies associated with Western Dragons, most Eastern Dragons are beautiful, friendly, and wise. They are the angels of the Orient. Instead of being hated, they are loved and worshipped. Temples and shrines have been built to honor them, for they control the rain, rivers, lakes, and seas. Many Chinese cities have pagodas where people used to burn incense and pray to dragons. Dragon shrines and altars can still be seen in many parts of the Far East. They are usually along seashores and riverbanks, because most Eastern Dragons live in water.
Everything connected with Eastern Dragons is blessed. Eastern Dragons are vain, even though they are wise. They are insulted when a ruler doesn't follow their advice, or when people do not honor their importance. Then, by thrashing about, dragons either stop making rain and cause water shortages, or they breathe black clouds that bring storms and floods. Small dragons do minor mischief, such as making roofs leak, or causing rice to be sticky.
The Dragon brings upon the essence of life, in the form of its celestial breath, known to many as sheng chi. He yields life and bestows its power in the form of the seasons, bringing water from rain, warmth from the sunshine, wind from the seas and soil from the earth. The Dragon is the ultimate representation of the forces of Mother Nature. The greatest divine force on Earth.
The Chinese Dragon is often seen as the symbol of divine protection and vigilance. It is regarded as the Supreme Being amongst all creatures. It has the ability to live in the seas, fly up the heavens and coiled up in the land in the form of mountains. Being the divine mythical animal, the Dragon can ward off wandering evil spirits, protect the innocent and bestow safety to all that hold his emblem. The Chinese Dragon is look upon as the ultimate symbol of Good Fortune.
and...
The Chinese dragon is one of China's most complex symbols. A magical beast, he is a good natured and benign creature. A symbol of strength, wisdom and goodness, he embodies the life giving force of water and is believed to bring the spring rain. The Chinese dragon is the king of all animals and is often depicted with a pearl in his mouth or claws, symbolizing wisdom and power. If the dragon has 5 claws, he is symbolic of the emperor and good government.
Dragons began to be part of the Chinese culture around 2000 B.C. We know this because a clay vessel dating from this time had a dragon-like creature on it. The influence of dragons in China is from the religion of Buddhism in India where there was a creature called Maga. Chinese dragons were patron divinities of rivers, lakes, and seas. They could deliver rain, withhold the rain, or cause storms and floods. They were thought to carry a pearl of great worth in their throats. They lived in magnificent underwater palaces.
China had four major types of dragons: (1) Tien Lung - Heavenly Dragon who lives in the clouds and guards heavenly palaces; (2) Shen Lung - God Dragon who brings rain and controls the weather; (3) Ti Lung - lives underwater and controls rivers; (4) Futslang Lung - hidden treasure dragon and considered the underworld guardian of treasure, jewels, and precious metals.
It was believed they laid their eggs alongside rivers and disguised them to look like stones. It took up to 4000 years to hatch-- thunder, lightning, torrential rain and floods meant an egg was hatching.
The Chinese had other names for dragons depending on how the dragon looked or flew. For example, Kliu lung meant horned dragon and blue in color.
Other Information:
• Chinese dragons were friendly toward humans unless provoked
• If mortals touched the scales under the chin of a dragon, the person met certain death
• Dragons had good eyesight and could see a mustard seed from 100 miles away
• Dragons did not have good hearing
• Dragons loved roasted swallows
• Dragons had 117 scales, which represented Yang (the number 9 is yang, and 9 x 9 is 81) and yin (the number 6 is yin, and 6 x 6 = 36). 81 + 36 = 117
• Yang is heaven, light, vigor, and masculinity. Yin is earth, darkness, passiveness, and femininity.
• Dragons fear the Wang plant, leaves of a Lien tree, colored silk threads, iron, and centipedes
• Red is the symbol of joy in China
• Flaming pearls are often seen with dragons
• Yellow dragons were superior dragons and born from gold
• Powdered dragons bones were seen as magic cures-- especially for diarrhea, fever, convulsions, paralysis, nosebleeds, and spasms. Dragon spit was used for perfume (when burned, dragon spit creates blue smoke in the air). Ancient "doctors" believed that dragons shed their skin and bones, and that's how they were able to obtain these items.
Dragons began to be part of the Chinese culture around 2000 B.C. We know this because a clay vessel dating from this time had a dragon-like creature on it. The influence of dragons in China is from the religion of Buddhism in India where there was a creature called Maga. Chinese dragons were patron divinities of rivers, lakes, and seas. They could deliver rain, withhold the rain, or cause storms and floods. They were thought to carry a pearl of great worth in their throats. They lived in magnificent underwater palaces.
China had four major types of dragons: (1) Tien Lung - Heavenly Dragon who lives in the clouds and guards heavenly palaces; (2) Shen Lung - God Dragon who brings rain and controls the weather; (3) Ti Lung - lives underwater and controls rivers; (4) Futslang Lung - hidden treasure dragon and considered the underworld guardian of treasure, jewels, and precious metals.
It was believed they laid their eggs alongside rivers and disguised them to look like stones. It took up to 4000 years to hatch-- thunder, lightning, torrential rain and floods meant an egg was hatching.
The Chinese had other names for dragons depending on how the dragon looked or flew. For example, Kliu lung meant horned dragon and blue in color.
Other Information:
• Chinese dragons were friendly toward humans unless provoked
• If mortals touched the scales under the chin of a dragon, the person met certain death
• Dragons had good eyesight and could see a mustard seed from 100 miles away
• Dragons did not have good hearing
• Dragons loved roasted swallows
• Dragons had 117 scales, which represented Yang (the number 9 is yang, and 9 x 9 is 81) and yin (the number 6 is yin, and 6 x 6 = 36). 81 + 36 = 117
• Yang is heaven, light, vigor, and masculinity. Yin is earth, darkness, passiveness, and femininity.
• Dragons fear the Wang plant, leaves of a Lien tree, colored silk threads, iron, and centipedes
• Red is the symbol of joy in China
• Flaming pearls are often seen with dragons
• Yellow dragons were superior dragons and born from gold
• Powdered dragons bones were seen as magic cures-- especially for diarrhea, fever, convulsions, paralysis, nosebleeds, and spasms. Dragon spit was used for perfume (when burned, dragon spit creates blue smoke in the air). Ancient "doctors" believed that dragons shed their skin and bones, and that's how they were able to obtain these items.
Chinese Dragons - Social Studies Assignment
Your assignment is to design a dragon which you will draw and color on a 18” by 24” piece of construction paper.
Be CAREFUL to follow all of the directions below.
1) Your dragon must have at least 8 of the following “dragon” features:
-4 legs -snake tail -long body
-stag horns -camel head -snake neck
-demon eyes -clam belly -carp scales
-eagle claws -tiger claws -cow ears
-catfish whiskers
2) Your dragon must have the 5 types of lines illustrated:
stipple crosshatch wavy circular straight
3) A line and color must be repeated throughout the picture
4) Your dragon will need a title. Choose one of the following or research your own:
Shen lung (brings rain)
Tien lung (lives above)
Ti lung (controls rivers)
Fu e/sang hung (guards treasure and metals)
5) Be sure to draw in a background for your dragon that fits its title
6) Use all the space on your paper by making sure that ALL of the space is colored and/or shaded
7) Title your page with the name of your dragon
8) Place your first and last name in INK in the bottom right hand corner
Be CAREFUL to follow all of the directions below.
1) Your dragon must have at least 8 of the following “dragon” features:
-4 legs -snake tail -long body
-stag horns -camel head -snake neck
-demon eyes -clam belly -carp scales
-eagle claws -tiger claws -cow ears
-catfish whiskers
2) Your dragon must have the 5 types of lines illustrated:
stipple crosshatch wavy circular straight
3) A line and color must be repeated throughout the picture
4) Your dragon will need a title. Choose one of the following or research your own:
Shen lung (brings rain)
Tien lung (lives above)
Ti lung (controls rivers)
Fu e/sang hung (guards treasure and metals)
5) Be sure to draw in a background for your dragon that fits its title
6) Use all the space on your paper by making sure that ALL of the space is colored and/or shaded
7) Title your page with the name of your dragon
8) Place your first and last name in INK in the bottom right hand corner