What Does A Chinese Dragon Look Like?

The mythology of China says that dragons lived under the Earth.  They only visited the world in the second month of the Chinese calendar.  Often, they would cause rain and thunderstorms.  It was said they looked a lot like snakes and had no wings at all.  Each dragon had four short legs and five toes.  The Chinese dragon is usually portrayed without wings, but it is believed to fly through the air nonetheless.  This is why it is generally painted against the clouds or the sun or the moon.

Nobody actually knows where the dragon comes from.  It appears like a combination of many animals.  For the Chinese people, dragons are described in a visual way as a composite of parts from nine, different creatures:  the horns of a deer, the head of a camel, the eyes of a devil, the neck of a serpent, the abdomen of a large cock, the scales of a carp, the claws of an eagle, the paws of a tiger, and the ears of an ox.  So this is indeed a very fascinating and unusual creature to put it mildly!

In China the Dragon was said to have very great and fantastic powers.  These powers allowed them to make rain and to control the floods.  They could transport human beings to the celestial world above after death.  However, dragons are also symbols of the natural world people live in.  They are known for adaptability and transformation.  When two dragons are placed together but turned away, they represent eternity.  The Chinese Dragon is something not to be taken lightly or passed over.  It is a very important and historically noteworthy symbol!

Harlan Urwiler

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