Per popluar request, this is a lesson about the Chinese dragon. Sources are pulled from the internet including Wikipedia.com as well as Travelchinaguide.com. Enjoy!The Chinese dragon is a Chinese mythical creature, depicted as a long, scaled, snake-like creature with four claws. In contrast to the Western dragon which stands on four legs and which is usually portrayed as evil, Chinese dragon has long been a potent symbol of auspicious power in Chinese folklore and art. The Chinese dragon is traditionally also the embodiment of the concept of yang (male) and associated with the weather as the bringer of rain and water in an agriculturally water-driven nation. Its female counterpart is the Pheonix.
The dragon is sometimes used in the West as a national emblem of China. However, this usage within both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China on Taiwan is rare.
Firstly, the dragon was historically the symbol of the Emperor of China. Starting with the Yuan Dynasty, regular citizens were forbidden to associate themselves with the symbol. The dragon re-emerged during the Qing Dynasty and appeared on national flags.[1]
Secondly, the dragon has aggressive, warlike connotations that the Chinese government wishes to avoid. It is for these reasons that the giant panda is far more often used within China as a national emblem than the dragon. In Hong Kong, however, the dragon is part of the design of Brand Hong Kong, a symbol used to promote Hong Kong as an international brand name[2].
Many Chinese people often use the term "Descendants of the Dragon" (龍的傳人) as a sign of ethnic identity. Though this trend only started when different Asian nationalities were looking for animal symbols for representations in the 1970s. The wolf was used among the Mongols, the monkey among Tibetans.[1]
In Chinese culture today, it is mostly used for decorative purposes. It is a taboo to disfigure a depiction of a dragon; for example, an advertisement campaign commissioned by Nike, which featured the American basketball player LeBron James slaying a dragon (as well as beating up an old Kung Fu master), was immediately censored by the Chinese government after public outcry over disrespect.[3]
A number of Chinese proverbs and idioms also feature references to the dragon, for example: "Hoping one's son will become a dragon" (望子成龍, i.e. be as successful and powerful as a dragon).
For information on Western Dragons take a look at the below websites:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon
http://www.crystalinks.com/dragons.html
1 comment:
Hey this is Starr "xing xing". I know this isn't about your lesson on dragons but I would really like to know your source on that Beijing Opera acrobatics stuff. So whenever you can my e-mail is StarrShine6433@gmail.com.
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