Today about the image of the dragon
In the zodiac, the dragon is the only illusory animal, it can soar through the clouds, drive the fog, turn the clouds, and have magical powers beyond human imagination. So how was the image of the dragon born? In ancient China, kings honored dragons, but it is puzzling how illusory dragons joined the ranks of secular animals.
<h1 style="text-align: left;">, when was the dragon born? </h1>
Tatsuyashi is one of the most special of the zodiac animals. Each word in the earth branch represents a special meaning, the word "Tatsu" represents the meaning of time and stars, and the animal that Tatsumi matches is the dragon. The dragon was a sacred and deified animal in ancient China, Chinese gave different meanings to the dragon from the pre-Qin period, and later the dragon even became a symbol of majesty and power, a symbol of the supreme ruler.
The Zhou people believe that at the time when Pangu opened the world, that is, what we now call the ancient period, the dragon could be raised, and the Classic of Mountains and Seas records that Emperor Shun's subordinates were good at raising dragons, and Emperor Shun gave him the surname of Dong because of his subordinates' meritorious work in raising dragons. Of course, this is just a legend.
Although the legends about dragons and dragons are made up by the ancients, the images of the dragons themselves are derived from real animals, such as dragon horns derived from deer, dragon heads derived from cows, dragon mouths derived from donkeys, and dragon scales derived from fish.
Dragons have had a special meaning since their birth. For example, as early as 5,000 years ago, at the Site of Xishuipo, dragons and tigers were side by side and participated in the funeral of the supreme ruler at that time. Archaeologists have found that when excavating the Xishuipo site, the ancients used a large number of bone tools and jade related to dragons in tombs.
The image of the dragon and tiger at the site of Xishuipo
The special status of the dragon has been continuously strengthened in the cultural exchanges between the various places in later generations, and it is not difficult to find from the records of the "Classic of Mountains and Seas" that the difference between dragons in various parts of China is very large, some dragons can amplify the light, some dragons can call the wind and rain, and some dragons have the power to swallow the heavens and the earth. There are also legends about dragons everywhere, and later, over time, these legends were integrated and adapted, and after the Han Dynasty, the image of the dragon began to be unified.
After the Han Dynasty, dragons gradually broke away from daily life and became recognized as magical animals. There are a large number of records about dragons in the Qin Jian unearthed in Liye, Hunan, and Qin Jian records that dragons have the ability to predict the future, change fortunes, and reverse Qiankun.
It was also around this time that the dragon was given power and divine significance, and began to develop a close connection with the king's power. Therefore, at that time, many alchemists in the Han Dynasty also began to trumpet the authority and divine power of the dragon.
<h1 style="text-align: left;"> Second, how did the dragon return to the "human world"? </h1>
The dragon has become a symbol of royal power, for ordinary people, do they dare to belong to the dragon in their daily lives? What genera did those born in the Year of the Dragon belong to?
In the Han Dynasty, these problems were indeed a headache for most dragon people. The Eastern Han Dynasty thinker Wang Chong, in his book "On Balance", believes that there are many problems in the binding of the zodiac and the five elements, as well as the forcible interpretation of the relationship between the zodiac. Wang Chong proposed that there should be only eleven zodiac signs, and Wang Chong deliberately removed and diluted the dragon, obviously avoiding the problem of the dragon in the year of the dragon.
But with the development of the times, other solutions have been found to this problem. By the time of the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the Central Plains began to add a lot of nomadic cultural colors after experiencing the Wuhu Chaohua, and gradually broke the division of social classes.
Hu people
The Zodiac also spread to the area around the Central Plains at this time, and people began to accept this scientific and cordial chronology, and with the relative decline of imperial power in the Wei and Jin dynasties, the people began to gradually adopt the zodiac calendar. As one of the twelve zodiac signs, the dragon naturally broke the characteristics that belonged only to the royal power and began to be owned by ordinary civilians.
The mighty and ferocious animal of the dragon was also very much in line with the aesthetic needs of the nomadic peoples at that time, and the Xiongnu called its capital city the Dragon City, and the dragon was gradually accepted by the Xiongnu. Later, with the introduction of Buddhism, the zodiac was gradually incorporated into the Buddhist cultural system, and the dragon was given a new image, which is a typical example of the guardian god of Buddhism, the Eight Heavenly Dragons, which we are familiar with.
<h1 style="text-align: left;" > third, the "entertainment" star of the Chinese New Year</h1>
Although the relationship between the dragon and the royal power became increasingly close after the Qin and Han dynasties, after the impact of the nomadic peoples and the transformation of Buddhism during the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the zodiac dragon finally entered the homes of ordinary people. Later, the people would even use dragons to make a "joke", and there are a large number of dragon dance performances in today's rural areas of China.
After the Song Dynasty, dragon dancing became a special custom for the New Year. The Southern Song Dynasty scholar Wu Zimu recorded in his work "Dream Liang Record" that during the Southern Song Dynasty, dragon dances, dragon playing and dragon lantern clubs were recorded. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, this kind of dragon dance, dragon playing customs began to mature with the development of cities and commerce, and during the Ming and Qing dynasties, there was such a trend as dragon dance lamps, and to this day, dragon dance lanterns are also one of the necessary activities for the Spring Festival everywhere.
Folk dragon dances
When dancing the dragon, the dragon head is usually tied up, covered with white Qingming paper, and painted with special colors on the dragon horn, dragon head, dragon mouth, etc., so that the appearance of the dragon can be more imaginary and real. The bottom of the dragon is fixed with a wooden handle, so that it can be rotated freely during the dragon dance, and when the dragon dance, a lamp sign will be placed on the neck of the dragon, and the words "Grain Fengdeng" will be written on it. During the dragon dance, the people will often use firecrackers to celebrate, and in Quanzhou, Zhangzhou and Xiamen in Fujian, China, the danced dragon will be placed on the boat and let it fly across the sea, which means to send the dragon back to the sea.
At the second time of the second month of the lunar calendar, it is the famous dragon head, generally known as the dragon head festival, on this day as long as the head up activity, this year the rain must be particularly abundant, the wind and rain are smooth. Throughout the history of the development of the dragon, people usually have the impression that the dragon is sacred and inoffensive, but later, the dragon not only entered the homes of ordinary people, but also became synonymous with Chinese folk auspiciousness and smooth wind and rain. The dragon not only generously entered the list of the zodiac, but also became the star role in the zodiac.
Folk dragon dance
<h1 style="text-align: left;"> Wen Shijun said</h1>
Chinese the history of worshiping dragons is extremely long, from the ancient Three Emperors and Five Emperors period began to worship the dragon, to the Qin and Han dynasties, the dragon has become synonymous with power and royal power, but the ordinary people's mentality towards the dragon is extremely complex, from the original respect and awe, to the pre-Qin dynasty to become a symbol of royal power, to the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the dragon entered the ordinary people's home, dragon dance, dragon play has become an important folk activity, slowly, the dragon has become a symbol of auspiciousness in the hearts of Chinese, to this day we are still full of reverence for the dragon, But in awe and entertainment, the dragon and man finally achieved the unity of reality and spirit in the evolution of the millennium.
< h1 style="text-align: "left;" > Resources</h1>
Editorial Department of China National Geographic: Chinese Heritage (Zodiac Issue), No. 1, 2021.
Editorial Board of China National Geographic: China National Geographic (Spring Festival Supplement), 2010 Special Issue.
Yang Kuan: An Introduction to the History of Chinese Art, Beijing Normal University Press, December 1985.
Zheng Zhenman, Faith and Order, Xiamen University Press, December 2014.
(Author: Haoran Wenshi Yugong Walker)
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