Adeline Yen Mah

Scholar Wang Fú during the Han Dynasty wrote that the dragon had the characteristics of nine different animals. It had the horns of a deer, the head of a camel, the eyes of a demon, belly of a clam, the scales of a carp, the claws of an eagle, the soles of a tiger and the ears of a cow

The number 9, the largest single digit, is associated with the dragon as well as the Emperor in Chinese minds. It is a lucky number in China because it is pronounced the same as another word which means a long time or long life. The dragon is supposed to have 117 scales, 81 yang or male scales and 27 yin or female scales. All these numbers are multiples of nine.

We now think that the dragon idea may have been inspired by the giant Yangzi alligator, or earth dragon which lives in the lower Yangzi River and can grow to a length of nearly 2 meters 6 feet. The alligator is sensitive to changes in air pressure and appears to know when rain is coming.

EMPEROR’S SYMBOL

Chinese children were told that when the Yellow Emperor died, he became a dragon and flew into Heaven. From then on, the yellow dragon with five claws on each foot became a symbol of imperial power. The Emperor’s throne was called the Dragon Throne and his robe the Dragon Robe. Only the Emperor was allowed to wear clothes embroidered with a yellow dragon. In ancient times, any person who dared to wear such robes without permission was suspected of treason and might even be executed.

The Chinese dragon is a mythical animal which is connected with water and rain fall. In times of drought, government ministers used to offer sacrifices to the dragon and pray for rain. Dragons are also supposed to have power over moving bodies of water such as rip-tides, storms and tornadoes. They fly by magic and occasionally show themselves as twisters or water sprouts.

Chinese legend says a fish saw a beautiful mountain and decided to swim to the top. It fought its way upstream, struggled against rapids, overcame waterfalls and finally reached the summit. There it found the stream blocked by a locked gate. Undaunted, the fish jumped over the gate and was immediately transformed into a dragon. Thus an ordinary fish can turn into a dragon if it tries hard enough. (Many waterfalls in China are named Dragon’s Gate).