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Chinese Dragon
The Chinese Dragon, lung or long in Chinese, is the most
beloved and celebrated mythical creature in China. Its legend and
popularity extend far beyond China to many other parts of the world.
The dragon is considered as one of the foremost auspicious symbols of
power, good luck and good fortune. Magnificent images of dragons are
generally depicted in a mystical serpentine shape. The dragon's body
is known to be the representation of nine earthly species from land, water
and air: head of a camel, horns of a deer, eyes of a hare, ears of a cow,
neck of a snake, scales of a carp, belly of a frog, legs and claws of an
eagle, and paws of a tiger. The image of the dragon is often seen
holding a pearl in its claw. The pearl is said to symbolize wisdom
and great achievement.
The dragon represents yang, a symbol of male vigor and fertility.
Many images of the dragon are seen paired with the phoenix; the dragon as
a symbol of male and the phoenix as female, together, is an auspicious
sign of good marriage.
The dragon's place is in the East, the direction of sunrise, where it is
symbolically associated with beginning of life or beginning of a life
cycle as in seasons; here in this context the dragon is correlated with
water as a life-giving force in Mother Nature. It is believed that
the dragon has the power to control the wind, clouds and rain. In
ancient times, when the agriculture was the most important way of
sustaining life, the dragon was regarded as the god of rain.
The Chinese Dragon is a symbol of many good things in life: goodness of
Mother Nature as life-giving, abundance and prosperity, attainment of a
great success, protection from unfavorable spirits and events in life,
wisdom and courage, loyalty, strong self-esteem, happy marriage and
lasting love.
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