The cultural influence of dragons

In China, dragon culture and dragon legends contain the cosmology of the unity of nature and man that the Chinese value; the appeal of the intersubjective view of benevolence and love; the development view of yin and yang; and the inclusive multicultural view. Chinese dragon culture has rich connotations. From the perspective of nature and connotation, dragon culture can be divided into three major types: religious dragon, political dragon and artistic dragon. Religious dragons worship dragons as sacred objects or gods, and regard dragons as the god of rain or protection. The political dragon is the ruling class taking advantage of people's general psychology of dragon worship and describing the emperor as the incarnation of the dragon god, which is sacrosanct and inviolable, in order to maintain its rule. Dragon art is to express the admiration and worship of the dragon in the form of art, that is, to express the dragon in the form of sculpture, shaping, painting, dance, myths and legends, competitive activities, etc.

Chinese dragon culture has distinctive characteristics.

Endurance. Chinese dragon worship has the longest history in the world. According to archaeological excavation data, the earliest dragon image was discovered in the Chahai site in Fuxin, Liaoning Province, excavated in 1994. In this site, there is a dragon made of stones from the Xinglongwa Culture dating back seven or eight thousand years. Numerous dragon images have also been found in Neolithic sites. As for the jade dragon and dragon pattern, there are more.

Continuity. Dragon culture has endured in China for a long time and has continued throughout the dynasties. It can be said to be one of the cultural phenomena with the longest duration and the strongest vitality.

Diversity. Chinese dragon culture is rich and diverse. The image of the dragon varies, and the images of dragons in each dynasty of China are different. Folklore activities related to dragons also vary from place to place. Dragon myths and legends are rich and colorful, and dragon sacrificial rituals are complicated.

Universality. Most ethnic groups in China worship dragons and have the custom of Dragon Head-Heading Festival. Names of places, things and people with the word "dragon" can be found all over the country.

Integration. Since the Qin and Han Dynasties, the worship of dragon gods and the worship of emperors have been combined, and the dragon has gained a more prominent status, which has integrated the originally different dragon cultures of various regions and ethnic groups. After integration, Chinese dragon culture has stronger vitality and dissemination power.

Taoism is China’s native religion and was formed on the basis of primitive religion. In the pre-Qin Dynasty, the belief in riding a dragon to travel around the world, ascending to heaven, and using dragons to communicate with heaven and humans was completely inherited by Taoism. The dragon is considered one of the "three sedan chairs" in Taoism. The "three sedans" referred to here are the dragon sedan, the tiger sedan, and the deer sedan, which are used as riding tools to go to heaven and earth. In Taoism, there is a famous mythical story about Xu Zhenjun taming a dragon and building a dragon well. The authors of the stories about locking dragon wells in various parts of China were wizards, that is, Chinese Taoist priests.

The "Taishang Dongyuan Divine Curse Sutra" contains the "Dragon King Grade" and lists the "Five Emperors and Dragon Kings" distinguished by their orientation. During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, a temple was built in the Dragon Pond and an altar official was set up to offer sacrifices to the Dragon King in the manner of the Rain Master. Taizu of the Song Dynasty followed the Tang Dynasty's system of worshiping five dragons. In the second year of Emperor Huizong's reign (1108), all five dragons in the world were granted the title of king. The Green Dragon God was named King Guangren, the Red Dragon God was King Jiaze, the Yellow Dragon God was King Fuying, the White Dragon God was King Yiji, and the Black Dragon God was King Lingze. In the second year of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1863), the Dragon God of the Canal was also named the "God of the Dragon King of Yanxiu and Yingdifen", and the governor of the river was ordered to offer sacrifices at the right time. In "Journey to the West", the Dragon Kings are: Ao Guang of the East China Sea, Ao Qin of the South China Sea, Ao Run of the West Sea, and Ao Shun of the North Sea, known as the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas.

The dragon gave birth to nine sons: According to the Ming Dynasty Li Dongyang's "Huailutang Collection", the dragon gave birth to nine sons who could not become dragons, but each had his own interests. Prison Niu: Sex likes music. In the old days, it was often engraved on the head of the Huqin. 睚禦(yázì): A person who likes killing and loves blood. It looks like a jackal with dragon horns, glaring angrily, with its horns drawn back close to its back. Often carved on the hilt and scabbard. Cháofēng: Likes adventure, its shape is often used as decoration on the corners of the palace, with the meaning of deterring monsters and eliminating disasters. Púláo: Likes to roar, people often put it on the bell. Suānní: shaped like a lion, likes to squat. Seeing that it was patient, Buddha put it under his crotch and used it as a mount. 豑屃 (bìxì): Like a turtle, good at carrying heavy loads. You can see him carrying a stone tablet in palaces, ancestral halls and mausoleums all over the country. 狴犴 (bì'àn): A person who likes litigation throughout his life. He looks like a tiger and is often carved on the prison door. negative豃(fùxì): I have good writings in my life, which are often wrapped around the head of the stone inscriptions. Chiki (chīwěn): Likes to look around and is often placed on the roof of a building as a kissing beast on the building. However, there are far more dragons in folklore than the nine mentioned above. Nine is an imaginary finger to show the large number; it is also the noble number of the Yang pole to show the respect of status.

It reflects the cultural concepts of our Chinese ancestors for their numerous descendants, their understanding of variability, and their affirmation of acquired knowledge.

Dragon Veins: Feng Shui refers to the undulating mountains as dragon veins. The ancient "Feng Shui" recommended the "Five Geography Tips" first, which are "looking for dragons, observing sand, observing water, tapping acupoints, and standing in directions." The dragon is the geographical context, the earth is the dragon's flesh, the stone is the dragon's bone, and the vegetation is the dragon's hair. When looking for a dragon, you should first look for the mountain ranges of your ancestors and parents, examine the Qi pulse, distinguish the anger, and distinguish Yin and Yang. The most famous dragon veins are the Kunlun Mountains and the Qinling Mountains.

Descendants of the Dragon: The so-called Descendants of the Dragon mainly means the inheritors of the dragon's bloodline. It says that the ancient ancestors are the product of the union of humans and dragons. Secondly, it means the fearless spirit of the Dragon. heirs. In addition to the Han people, the Zhuang, Dong, Tai, Lao, Shan Mang and other ethnic groups in China have legends that they were born because Shen Nong married the dragon girl of the Dongting Lord. Chi You, one of the ancestors of the Miao people, is said to have two horns on his head, which is also a dragon. Tibetan Mongolians and Manchus, etc. Some ethnic minorities in Northeast China also worship dragons.

Zodiac: The dragon ranks fifth among the twelve traditional Chinese zodiac signs, and the corresponding earthly branch is Chen, so there is a saying of Chen Long. Dragon, Phoenix, Qilin and Xuanwu are collectively called the "Four Spirits".

Lantern Festival Dragon Dance: Dragon dance, commonly known as playing with dragon lanterns, is one of the traditional folk cultural activities of the Han nationality in China. Dragon dances are performed on every festive festival to pray for peace and a good harvest. During the dragon dance, the dragon follows the hydrangea in various movements, interspersed with each other, and constantly displays various postures such as twisting, waving, leaning up, kneeling, jumping, and shaking.

On February 2, the dragon raises its head: The second day of the second lunar month is commonly known as the Green Dragon Festival. Legend has it that it is the day when the dragon raises its head. According to the Book of Changes, before this day, although it was spring, it was still dormant, which was called "the hidden dragon in the abyss". After this day, Yang Qi rises and spring is faintly visible, so it is said to "see a dragon in the field". As the name suggests, the dragon appears and everything starts to come to life. It was originally called the "Dragon Head Festival", where dragons were worshiped and prayed for rain, so that God would protect the agricultural harvest. A more common saying is that the dragon raises its head on the second day of February, so everyone should get a haircut to be tainted with the "dragon" energy and welcome good luck. In the Zhuang area in central and northern Guangxi, there is also a saying that "the second dragon raises its head in February and the second dragon ends in August".

Dragon Boat Racing on Dragon Boat Festival: Dragon boat racing is an ancient Han folk activity. Legend has it that during the Warring States Period, Qu Yuan, an official of the Chu State, committed suicide by throwing himself into the river on May 5th of the lunar calendar. The people of the Chu State were reluctant to bear the death of their virtuous minister Qu Yuan, so many people rowed boats to chase and rescue him. This was the origin of the dragon boat race, and it was rowed on May 5th every year. Dragon boats were rowed to commemorate Qu Yuan's death, and they were used to drive away the fish in the river to prevent them from eating Qu Yuan's body. Folk dragon boat racing is an important activity of the Dragon Boat Festival and is very popular in southern China. It should have been a sacrificial activity for the ancient Yue people to worship the water god or dragon god. Its origin may have begun at the end of primitive society.

Dragon and phoenix present auspiciousness: It is quoted from "Kong Congzi·Jiwen": "If the emperor is virtuous and will bring peace, then the lin, phoenix, turtle, and dragon will first present auspiciousness to him." In traditional Chinese concepts, the dragon The phoenix and the phoenix represent good luck and good luck, and the dragon and phoenix are used together to express joy. Legend has it that Nongyu, the daughter of Duke Mu of Qin, and Xiao Shi, the consort of Qin, lived in seclusion in Huashan to cultivate, and they achieved enlightenment and rode on dragons and phoenixes. Later, in order to commemorate the touching story of Nongyu and Xiao Shi, people used the phrase "dragon and phoenix make auspiciousness" to describe the couple's flying together. , loving each other, nurturing each other, and loving each other for hundreds of years of loyal love. As Chinese people immigrated overseas, Chinese dragon culture also spread to all parts of the world. In fact, long before white people came into contact with Chinese dragon culture, Chinese dragons had already traveled across the ocean to Japan, Southeast Asia, and even among the native Americans.

For one or two thousand years, Japanese farmers and fishermen have been sacrificing and worshiping dragons in order to pray for good weather and good harvests. There is a seventh-century mural "Blue Dragon Picture" in the Takamatsuzuka Tumulus, whose shape is similar to that of a Chinese dragon. Among Japanese ancient buildings, dragons are more common in the Chinese Han, Tang, Ming and Qing dynasties, while dragons in the pre-Qin period are rare. It can be seen that the art of Chinese dragons was introduced to Japan in large quantities from the Han Dynasty.

Chinese dragon culture was introduced to Southeast Asia much earlier than Japan, so it appears to be more primitive. The dragon and phoenix art of Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia clearly has the characteristics of China's Yangtze River Culture Department. The dragon has a big head, somewhat like a lion or an ox, a thick belly, a big tail, and small feet. This image of the dragon can be seen everywhere in the area's architecture, clothing, sculptures, and folk activities such as dragon boats, dragon dances, and dragon lanterns. There are many rivers and lakes dotted south of the Yangtze River. Dragon boat culture is very developed. The bronze drums used to direct the dragon boat races are decorated with auspicious animal patterns such as dragons and phoenixes. The bronze drum art of Southeast Asia originated from China.

The differences between Yunnan and Cantonese bronze drum art are also seen in Southeast Asia, becoming a local evolution of the Yangtze River dragon and phoenix culture. From the perspective of ancient cultural history, the dragon culture of Southeast Asia is the southward extension of the Yangtze River Culture Department, especially the Miao Man culture.

The ancient Indians in America accepted Chinese dragon culture much earlier than those in Southeast Asia. Archaeologists have discovered that as early as 7,000 years ago to the time of Columbus, Chinese dragon art was introduced to the Americas and combined with local indigenous culture, becoming the backbone of the dragon culture of Olmec, Mayan, Astec, Inca and other tribes. The Olmec culture, which arose in 1000 BC (corresponding to the late Shang and early Zhou dynasties in Chinese history), is considered the cradle of Indian culture. There are two primitive dragons in the Olmec culture: the dragon and the chilong, which are also commonly known as the big dragon and the little dragon by the Chinese. It is similar to the origin of the Chinese dragon during the Shang and Zhou dynasties. In Indian myths and legends, the fire dragon and the water dragon represent the two gods of the north and south respectively. In ancient Chinese mythology, the water god in the north is Shuilong Gonggong, and the fire god in the south is the fire dragon Zhurong. Archaeologists disassembled the various parts of the ancient Indian dragon body and compared them with the various parts of the Chinese dragon body. They were surprised to find that the dragons of the Mayan culture were very similar to the dragons of the Yellow River culture and the Songliao culture. The dragons of the Inca culture were very similar. It is almost a replica of the dragon of South China culture and Bashu culture. Pyramids and other altar temples in the Americas are also decorated with images of dragons, indicating that ancient Indians worshiped dragon culture just like the Chinese. In fact, dragon culture is only a part of ancient Chinese culture. The spread of Chinese dragon culture in the Americas proves the historical fact that the Chinese race has traveled eastward to the Americas as early as ancient times and brought with them the splendid Chinese civilization. Dragon is the origin of culture. "Yi" is the first of the group of scriptures and the source of the great road. The origin of "Yi" can be traced back to Long Shu. In "Yi", the main hexagrams are Qian and Kun. Among the Qian hexagrams, "Yi Qian Yao Ci" reveals the universal laws of things, including the growth of life, in the order of six lines. It uses the dragon growing in the water as a metaphor to refine and summarize the six steps of growing up to become a successful person in the world. Personal life stage. For example, on the ninth day of the lunar month: Hidden Dragon, do not use it. It refers to the early stage of life and symbolizes the learning stage of life. Ninety-two: Seeing a dragon in the field is a good way to meet an adult. Refers to the beginning of the dragon's wings, symbolizing the internship stage of life. Ninety-three: A gentleman works hard all day long, is vigilant at night, and has no fault for being strict. It means that all experience and experience have been obtained, symbolizing the entrepreneurial stage of life. Ninety-four: You may jump into the abyss, no blame. It means that life has reached the stage of having both ability and political integrity, symbolizing the successful stage of life. Ninety-five: The flying dragon is in the sky, which is good for meeting adults. Refers to the dragon leaping out of the river and flying away from the land, symbolizing the pursuit and achievement of life to the extreme. Chapter 9: A strong dragon has regrets, which reveals the iron law that things must turn to the extreme, and that things will flourish and then decline. "Yi Kun Yao Ci" is a summary, refinement and interpretation of the growth stages of people in a subordinate position. In the last stage, above six, there is the sentence "Fighting a dragon in the wild, its blood is black and yellow", which means that the yin is extremely strong, and the transition from a subordinate to a leader is very difficult and the price is high. It requires sufficient psychological and psychological strength. Prepare for emergencies.

At the folk level, the influence of dragon is greater, and the surname dragon is widely distributed; Dragon King temples are all over China, and many place names are named after dragon; among animals there are earth dragons, chameleons, etc.; among plants Longan, gentian, etc. Dragon lantern dancing in rural temple fairs and dragon boat racing in Jiangnan water towns all have a long history.

The dragon is the embodiment of justice, and the descendants of Yan and Huang have endowed the dragon with many beautiful and kind-hearted qualities. There is a folk saying that "On February 2, the dragon raises its head". Legend has it that the little white dragon once offended the Jade Emperor by making rain to save the people. To commemorate the kindness of the little white dragon, the people designated February 2 as the Spring Dragon Festival, burning incense and praying. The coming year will bring good weather and good harvest. The traditional Spring Festival also officially ends on this day. The dragon can represent a hero. The image of dragon is active in almost every level and field. It has strong vitality and charisma and is a typical example of an ideal hero. The culture of a nation is the carrier of its national spirit. In the colorful dragon culture, we can also see the humanistic spirit of the ancient Chinese people.

Innovative spirit. The longevity of dragon culture is inseparable from the innovative spirit of the ancient Chinese people. Dragon Culture has gone through several stages of development, each of which was mainly accomplished through internal innovation. Observing the different artistic forms of dragons in various historical periods, from hornless to horned, from wingless to winged, from footless to footed, it can be seen that the dragon image is formed through continuous innovation.

Integrated spirit. The image of the dragon was formed by the ancient Chinese by combining the advantages of animals, birds, aquatic animals and reptiles. The comprehensiveness of dragon culture is also reflected in the long-term development process. Dragon continues to absorb excellent external artistic elements, thereby making its image more perfect.

For example, in the Tang and Song Dynasties, dragons absorbed the image of lions in Indian Buddhism, with round and plump heads, a mane on the back of the head, and a nose similar to that of a lion, which increased the dragon's sense of authority.

Inclusive spirit. The rich and colorful ancient dragon culture is inseparable from the inclusive spirit of the ancient Chinese people. In the process of its development, Chinese dragon culture was impacted by the belief in the Dragon King from India. However, the Chinese did not turn it away. Instead, they tolerated and transformed it, forming a Chinese Dragon King and enriching the Chinese dragon culture. connotation.

Enterprising spirit. Judging from the image of dragons described by ancient Chinese, dragons have a strong enterprising spirit. The dragon's activity space is very broad, it can reach the nine heavens and dive into the abyss. Most of the images of dragons in various arts are flying dragons, soaring dragons or running dragons, full of vigor, striving for progress, and mighty and unyielding. Dragons in myths and legends are mostly indomitable, unstoppable, and fearless. These are all manifestations of the pioneering and enterprising spirit of ancient dragons.

Independent spirit. The artistic image of the Chinese dragon is unique, and various cultural phenomena related to the dragon are also self-contained and unique. In traditional Chinese culture, although dragon culture has an inseparable relationship with Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism, it has always maintained relative independence and is not affiliated with any religion.

Dragon culture is a typical representative of Chinese traditional culture. There is indeed both dross and essence in this. The religious and political dragon worship in history, such as sacrificing dragons to pray for rain, sacrificing dragons to pray for children, sacrificing dragons to pray for peace, and the concept of "true dragon emperor" should be abandoned. However, the artistic and folk dragon culture has strong vitality. Dragon-related folk activities such as dragon lantern dancing and dragon boat racing should be protected as intangible cultural heritage.

In contemporary times, the cohesive role of dragon culture should also be brought into play. The formation and development process of dragon culture is almost synchronized with the formation and integration process of the Chinese nation. In history, no matter how dynasties change, the inheritance of dragon culture remains the same. Chinese people at home and abroad regard "dragon" as the symbol of the Chinese nation. Therefore, in the process of publicizing and promoting dragon culture, its cohesion and centripetal force should be fully utilized. Dragon

Born in the East

Wandering between the earth and the sky

Carrying great virtues and benevolence

Inherited by water to the heart

This heart

is the heart of all things

Helps Yin and Yang

Embraces each other without rejecting them

Fights without making enemies

I am the way and my heart

Throughout the past and present

The wise know it and become wise

The villain knows it but not the human being

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Mysteries are unknown to everyone

The rumors that have been spread by word of mouth have become false