This article comes from: Baidu Knows Daily
In 1971, in Sanxingtala Village, Wengniute Banner, Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia, archaeologists in the village unearthed a C-shaped blue jade dragon Later, after on-site inspection by experts, it was confirmed that the dragon belonged to the Hongshan Cultural Relics dating back about 7,000 years ago. From this, it can be seen that the dragon culture has existed in the hearts of the Chinese nation for a long time. In China for thousands of years, the dragon has represented the emperor. In ancient palaces, almost all objects were painted with dragon-related patterns. This ultimate admiration for dragons was essentially a disguised form of ultimate power, which Tuba believed could reflect the emperor's thoughts on dragons at that time. How deep is it? So, is the real dragon a fact? Or is it people's imagination and TOEFL of the highest power?
The dragon flying in the sky
How did the dragon evolve? In fact, dragons can be roughly divided into three categories: the first one is the green dragon, which is one of the "Four Saints", "Four Symbols" and "Four Spirits of Heaven", and is also called the Canglong at this time; the Yellow Dragon. It can also be called Yinglong, that is, a dragon with two wings on its back; the second one is the fire dragon: it can be understood as a dragon that can spit fire, and according to their status, it can be divided into Panlong, Yunlong and so on. Then some people may ask, having said so much, where did the dragon come from? ! In fact, in our history, it can be said that every 100 people have 100 opinions about the incident with dragons. These cultures have been passed down from generation to generation as dragon culture. Today, Tuba has divided it into the following categories for everyone: If readers have different opinions than Tuba, please leave a comment!
Legend 1: Dragon gives birth to dragon. Even if there are dragons, there must be male and female dragons, which means they may come from reproduction;
Legend 2: A giant python transforms into a dragon. The giant python practiced in the mountains for hundreds of years, and then flew into the sky by lightning and transformed into a dragon;
Legend 3: The dragon transformed into a dragon. "Shu Yi Ji" records: "The dragon transformed into a dragon after thousands of years." ;
Legend 4: Fish turns into a dragon. According to folklore, after a carp successfully jumps over the Dragon Gate, it can transform into a dragon.
Dragon
Since there are so many versions of the dragon’s life experience, of course there are also different descriptions and explanations of the dragon’s growth path in Chinese culture. Tuba summarized it** *There are two views, one is the growth chart of transforming dragons, and the other is the growth chart of breeding dragons. The general situation is as follows historical records:
Growth Chart 1: "Shu Yi Ji" records that carp A hundred years turns into a dragon, a thousand years the dragon turns into a dragon, a thousand years the dragon turns into a horned dragon, and a thousand years it turns into a dragon. This is the growth chart of the dragon;
Growth Chart 2, "Shu Yi Ji" also contains, A dragon turns into a dragon after five hundred years, a dragon turns into a dragon after a thousand years, a dragon turns into a horned dragon after five hundred years, and a dragon turns into a dragon after a thousand years. The dragon is the juvenile stage of the dragon, and the qiu is a small dragon with horns (some say it is a baby dragon without horns). , Jiao refers to a scaly dragon that can cause floods. This is a growth chart of breeding dragons.
True Dragon
Records of dragons in historical books
"Historical Records·Fengchan Book" records: "In the past, Duke Wen of Qin went hunting and caught a black dragon."
The "Supplementary Records of the Tang Dynasty" records: At the end of Xiantong in the Tang Dynasty, Kong Wei, the governor of Shuzhou, entered a dragon bone. Because there was a record of its events, it said: "The people of Shanzheng Township, Tongcheng County, Hu Ju, there is a green dragon. He died in the court.
The "History of the Liao Dynasty: The Second Annals of Taizu" records: "In the fifth month of the summer of the fifth year of Shence (920), a dragon was seen on the Yangshui River in the Pulling Mountain.
"Manuscripts of the History of the Qing Dynasty" contains: "A dragon flew from the floating mountain into the folk buildings. In a moment, smoke started to rise and the buildings were burned down."
Mysterious Dragon
What are the characteristics of dragons?
"Compendium of Materia Medica·Yi" says: "The dragon is the length of the scale insect. Wang Fu said that its shape has nine similarities: the head is like a camel, the horns are like a deer, the eyes are like a rabbit, the ears are like a cow, and the neck is like a cow. The snake has a belly like a mirage, scales like a carp, claws like an eagle, and palms like a tiger. Its back has eighty-one scales, and its sound is like a rattling copper plate. The characteristics of the dragon's image can be summarized as follows. The horns are like a deer, the head is like a cow, the eyes are like shrimps, the mouth is like a donkey, the belly is like a snake, the scales are like a fish, the feet are like a phoenix, the beard is like a human, and the ears are like an elephant. Yuan Mei of the Qing Dynasty wrote in "Zi Bu". "Yu" writes: "Thunder and rain are dark, and the dragon comes and wails, sounding like a cow roaring.
Dragon is a fickle person. It can appear or hide, it can be small or large, it can be short or long. It ascends to the sky at the spring equinox, dives into the abyss at the autumnal equinox, calls for wind and rain, spits fire and water, and travels in the clouds between the earth and the sky. between. "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" summarizes the characteristics of the dragon: "A dragon can be big or small, it can rise or disappear; if it is big, it can stir up clouds and spit out mist, if it is small, it can hide and hide its form; if it rises, it can fly in the universe, if it is hidden, it can lurk in the waves. Within. Spring is deep now, and the dragon rides on time."
"Wuzazu" also describes the dragon's temperament. "Wuzazu" says: Dragon's nature is the most lustful, so if it intercourse with an ox, it will give birth to a lin; if it intercourse with a hog, it will give birth to an elephant; if it intercourse with a horse, it will give birth to a dragon and a horse...
Dragon specimens in the museum
The origin of the image of the dragon totem
One theory is that the reason for the formation of the dragon totem originated from the Yellow Emperor's Busan Heli. "Historical Records: The Chronicles of the Five Emperors" records: After defeating Emperor Yan and Chiyou, the Yellow Emperor patrolled the four directions and "matched Busan". This "matching" not only unified the talisman letters of various military orders and established a political alliance, but also combined some elements from the original totems of each tribe to create a new animal image - the dragon. Each tribe in the Central Plains had a unique dragon totem, and the history of unifying Chinese civilization began. Therefore, the Chinese are all "descendants of the dragon."
As a totem, the dragon is different from ordinary totems. It is not a single animal but a collection of multiple animals. This prominently reflects the great national spirit of the Chinese nation - the idea of ??harmony, which is the core of the Chinese national spirit. a source.
Dragon Totem
"Dragon" in folk culture
Dragon Veins: Feng Shui calls the undulating mountains dragon veins, and the ancient "Feng Shui" was the first to recommend " The "Five Secrets of Geography" are "looking for dragons, observing sand, observing water, pointing holes, 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.
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.
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 dance is used to pray for peace and a good harvest.
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, on this day the yang energy rises and everything begins to come to life.
Dragon Dance in Folklore Activities
Yingkou Dragon Falling Incident
Yingkou Dragon Falling Incident is an event that cannot be ignored in the history of modern dragons, and it is With factual pictures to support it, the credibility is extremely high. In early July 1934, many people in Yingkou said they found a living dragon in the upper reaches of Tianzhuangtai. People used reed mats to build a shelter for it and carried water for it. Temple monks performed dharma salvation for it every day. After several days of heavy rain, it disappeared. Those who saw it said it looked like the dragon in the painting, with four claws and scales, two long whiskers on its mouth, big protruding eyes, and a body length of about 10 meters.
On July 28, a dragon descended from the sky in Yingkou, capsized three boats, damaged a Japanese-owned factory house, killed nine people, and overturned a train parked at the station. On August 8, a corpse with the same characteristics as the legendary dragon was found in the reeds 10 kilometers away from the mouth of the Liao River. The fishy smell wafted far away, and it had double horns with antlers-like forked horns. This is in the animal world. It is rare in the world, with two big baskets filled with scales, and the sound before death was like a cow's braying.
The discovery of true dragon fossils
The "New China Dragon" fossil was unearthed in 1996 in Xinpu Township, Guanling County, Anshun City, Guizhou Province. There is a symmetrical pair of "New Chinese Dragon" on the dragon's head. "Dragon horns," which bear a striking resemblance to the mythical dragon, have attracted the attention of paleontologists. The fossil is collected in the Xingwei Paleontological Fossil Museum in Anshun City, Guizhou Province. It is very complete and has a total length of 7.6 meters. The dragon's horns grow from the left and right sides of the widest part of the head. The horns are symmetrical and about 27 centimeters long. Slightly curved, the pair of "dragon horns" protrude from the dragon's head, resembling the image of a legendary dragon. The "dragon horns" of the "New China Dragon" fossil in Xinpu, Guanling, Guizhou were discovered for the first time in China, providing physical evidence for the horned dragon in ancient legends, and providing new ideas for the study of the origin of the image of the dragon, which is of great significance. scientific and historical value.
The "New Chinese Dragon" fossil in Xinpu Township, Guanling County, Anshun City, Guizhou Province
Does dragons really exist?
Dragon culture has been spreading for thousands of years, so do dragons really exist? Dragons may really exist, or they may be extinct, or they may be hidden in the deep sea and in natural environments that humans have not yet conquered.
But one thing is certain: dragons do exist, and the dragon's shape is not much different from the ancient prototype. It's just that the dragon's ability has been seriously overestimated. It can appear and hide, it can be thin and huge, it can be short and it can be long. It is extremely mythical; it is even more impossible to be able to call the wind, call the rain, spit fire and water. After all, dragons live in nature, and it is understandable that it can swim between the earth and the sky. If it can call the wind, call the rain, spit fire and water, this is completely We are superstitious. After all, we still have to adopt a scientific attitude towards dragons and study them as a kind of ancient creature instead of worshiping them as a kind of god...
Himalayas" "True Dragon"