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Dragon Totem in Chinese Culture and Traditions
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The year 2012 is a dragon year according to the Chinese Twelve Zodiac system. The dragon is a symbol of Chinese nation and Chinese culture and closely associated to the Chinese history and civilization. Legends about the dragon are cherished as a splendid part of Chinese culture. From its origins as totems or the stylized depiction of natural creatures, the Chinese dragon evolved to become a mythical animal. The people paint the dragon's shape with a horse's head and a snake's tail. Further, there are expressions like "three joints" and "nine resemblances", from head to shoulder, from shoulder to breast, from breast to tail. His horns resemble those of a stag, his head that of a camel, his eyes those of a demon, his neck that of a snake, his belly that of a clam, his scales those of a carp, his claws those of an eagle, his soles those of a tiger, his ears those of a cow. The origin of the Chinese dragon is not certain. The presence of dragon in Chinese culture can dates back several thousands of years with the discovery of a dragon statue dating back to the fifth millennium BC from the Yangshao culture in Henan in 1987, and jade badges of rank in coiled form have been excavated from the Hongshan culture dating back to 4700-2900 BC. Some scholars believe that the Chinese dragon originated from totems of different tribes in China, as a merger of totems of various tribes consequential to tribal mergers. Legendary figures like Nuwa and Fuxi are depicted as having snake bodies. Some scholars have noted that a myth arose that the first legendary Emperor of China, Huangdi (Yellow Emperor) used a snake for his coat of arms. According to the myth, every time he conquered another tribe, he...