祥瑞之兆：探索中国龙作为吉祥象征的深远意义
Unlike the scary dragons you might read about in Western stories like “The Hobbit,” where dragons like Smaug are greedy and fierce, Chinese loongs are seen as lucky and wise. The loong is a big part of China’s history and culture. Chinese people proudly claim they are the descendants of loongs!
One of the oldest stories, from over 2,000 years ago, tells us about Liu Bang, the first emperor of the Western Han Dynasty. The story says his mother dreamed of a loong, which was a sign that she would give birth to a great leader. Chinese emperors loved loongs so much that everything important was decorated with them — their clothes, their thrones, even their beds!
The loong was seen as the God of rain. People believed it controlled the weather, especially rain. So, if there was a drought or too much rain, people would pray to the loong for better weather. They thought loongs could cause natural disasters like floods or tornadoes if they were upset.
Loong is also one of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac, which is a cycle of animals linked to each year. Each animal has a specific time. The sequence is determined by the time of day the animal is most active, at least in the eyes of the ancient Chinese. The loong’s time is from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. when it’s often foggy. This made people think of loongs riding on clouds and mist.
In Chinese paper cutting, a typical pattern shows a loong riding on clouds or two loongs playing with a pearl (珍珠), which represents the balance of yin and yang. The loong is also a popular symbol in Chinese calligraphy, representing beautiful and flowing writing.
Many Chinese parents hope their children will be strong and successful, just like a loong. This is shown in the saying “望子成龙”, which means they have high hopes for their kids. People born in the Year of the Loong are thought to be natural leaders, full of energy and creativity.
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