Chinese dragon
The Azure Dragon depicted on the flag of the Qing dynasty | |
| Creature information | |
|---|---|
| Grouping | Mythical creature |
| Sub grouping | Dragon |
| Folklore | Chinese mythology |
| Origin | |
| Country | China |
| Chinese dragon | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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"Dragon" in oracle bone script (top left), bronze script (top right), seal script (middle left), Traditional (middle right), Japanese new-style (shinjitai, bottom left), and Simplified (bottom right) Chinese characters | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 龍 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 龙 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Chinese dragon or loong is a legendary creature in Chinese mythology, Chinese folklore, and Chinese culture generally. Chinese dragons have many animal-like forms, such as turtles and fish, but are most commonly depicted as snake-like with four legs. Academicians have identified four reliable theories on the origin of the Chinese dragon: snakes, Chinese alligators, thunder worship and nature worship. They traditionally symbolize potent and auspicious powers, particularly control over water and weather.