Dragon totem
The dragon is a god in the ancient myths and legends of East Asia such as in China. The dragon ranks fifth in the traditional Chinese zodiac, and is also called "Four Spirits" together with Feng, Turtle and Lin. It is often used to symbolize auspiciousness. It is one of the most representative traditional cultures of the East Asian people such as the Han nationality. The legend of the dragon and other dragon cultures are very rich.
Image of dragon
In terms of appearance, the dragon set lion head, antlers, shrimp legs, crocodile mouth, turtle neck, snake body, fish scales, shen (a sea monster of Chinese mythology) belly, fish ridge, tiger's paw, eagle claw, goldfish tail in one. They are classics in the ancient Chinese folk myths and legends, but in reality, they can't find the entities. The legends are mostly capable of showing their power, and they can be small and big. However, the composition of its image stems from reality and plays the role of avoiding evil spirits, disaster avoidance, and blessing.
Dragon culture in Chinese culture
Chinese dragon culture is rich in content. From the perspective of nature and connotation, dragon culture can be divided into three types: religious dragon, political dragon and art dragon.
1. The religious dragon worships the dragon as a sacred object or a god, and regards the dragon as the god of the rain or the god of protection.
2. The political dragon is the ruling class who uses the psychology of people to worship the dragon universally. It describes the emperor as the embodiment of the dragon god and is sacred and inviolable to maintain the rule.
3. The art dragon expresses the admiration and worship of the dragon in the form of art, that is, the dragon is represented by carving, shaping, painting, dancing, myths and legends, and competitive activities.
After the dragon was deified, it was combined with the worship of the emperor. In the Qin and Han Dynasties, in order to unify the country and integrate national beliefs, a sacred worship was needed to unify the mind. The emperor combined the dragon worship with his own rights. Describe yourself as the incarnation of the dragon or the son of the dragon god, and use the dragon to establish authority, so as to gain the trust and support of the people. In this way, the dragon has gained a more prominent position and played a very important role in the development of the Chinese dragon culture.
