Ancient emperors regarded themselves very highly, often calling themselves "True Dragon Tianzi", among which, the meaning of the word "Son of Heaven" can be roughly understood as the son of God, and the concept of divine right of kings is similarly reflected all over the world. In ancient China, the status of monarch was given by the gods, while in the West, it was derived from the authorization of God to separate the kingdom of heaven from the kingdom of earth, and the power of the king came from the divine grant of God. In fact, during the period of the Three Emperors and Five Emperors, the title "Son of Heaven" began to appear. In the "History", it is recorded: "Emperor Yao was old, and ordered Shun to take over the power of the Son of Heaven to observe the Mandate of Heaven." The "Son of Heaven" here, as the name suggests, refers to the eldest son of Tianzhi. In ancient times, the heavens were given a personified quality, sometimes called God, and were regarded as the supreme lord of the universe. It is believed that everything in the world is the descendant of heaven and earth, and heaven is the father, so it is revered as "emperor tian", and earth is mother, called "back earth", so "son of heaven" is the descendant of heaven.
Behind this title was a common demand in society at that time. In that era of unenlightened people, in order to effectively lead and rule, those in power had to gain prestige through a supernatural image. In order to establish reverence and faith among the population, monarchs or their cronies often added special legends. These legends may include visions of birth, otherworldly intelligence, or extraordinary courage used to build common people's sense of worship and trust in leaders. However, as society develops, the legends of the monarchs themselves are often not directly understood by all the people. As a result, the concept of "divine right of kings" began to germinate. This means that the power of the monarch comes from the authorization of the gods of heaven and earth. Heaven, as an existence that everyone can see but cannot touch, becomes a symbol of ideals. The release of this concept creates conditions for creating a state of awe among the population.
So, what does "true dragon" mean? We often see ancient emperors wearing dragon robes and sitting on dragon chairs, and even the heirs of the emperors are called "dragon sons". Why did ancient emperors like to associate with dragons so much? In fact, this involves a misunderstanding of Chinese culture. In traditional Chinese mythology and legend, dragons have always been regarded as noble, mysterious beings. For example, Ying Long is the divine beast that killed Qianyou, and among the four divine beasts, the Eastern Green Dragon is also a symbol of sublimity. However, with the spread of Buddhist culture and fiction in some literary works, the saying "Four Seas Dragon King" appeared, which led to some misunderstandings about the status of dragons. But in fact, in the mythology of the ancient Chinese tradition, the dragon was regarded as a kind of totem, and as early as the ancient period of the Three Emperors and Five Emperors, the dragon was one of the objects of worship of the Chinese ancestors. According to legend, the Yandi is the reincarnation of the Nuwa clan, and the dragon is a divine beast under the Nuwa clan. According to legend, the dragon was created by Fuxi. When Fuxi first indoctrinated humans, he created the dragon, a creature that combines the characteristics of various animals, such as snake body, crocodile head, antlers, tiger eyes, carp scales, lizard legs, eagle claws, shark tails, etc. These qualities give the dragon the ability to soar through the clouds and master the wind and rain. Later, in order to unify the country, the Yellow Emperor fused the totem elements of various tribes to create the image of the "dragon" and became a new totem. This image incorporates the qualities of various animals, allowing it to soar through the clouds and manipulate the wind and rain, and is a sacred symbol in Chinese culture.
During the Qin and Han dynasties, the status of dragons was even more enhanced. Qin Shi Huang called himself the empress, regarded himself as the "ancestral dragon" and regarded himself as the inheritor of the dragon. Later emperors followed suit, associating themselves with dragons as a way to consolidate their dominance. For example, Yuwen Tai, the founder of Northern Zhou, is said to have a dragon phase when he was born; The birth of Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, was also accompanied by the legend of the appearance of Double Dragon. Overall, associating the "True Dragon Heavenly Son" with himself became a common means for ancient emperors to enhance the legitimacy, sacredness and inviolability of their rule. After all, as a symbol, the dragon not only has a majestic image, but also has the special function of soaring clouds and driving fog, beckoning wind and rain. And the monarch, at the top of the national pyramid, is the supreme of a country, with the right to rule and the power of life and death. It is fitting to use the dragon as another name for the emperor. At the same time, it also facilitated the publicity and education of the people, so that they believed that the emperor was not an extraordinary person, but the embodiment of the gods, and it was more conducive to the monarch to rule the country smoothly.
In general, the title "True Dragon Tianzi" derives from an "apotheosis" need for the legitimacy of monarchs in ancient societies.