by Lynda Lampert

Created on: November 02, 2008

What does a Chinese dragon look like?

Western dragons have often been depicted as monsters and symbols of violence. Brave young Western knights dashed towards the beast to rescue the maiden and slay their opponent. It was an act of supreme bravery to face and kill a dragon. In China, however, dragons are revered. In fact, merely defacing the picture of a dragon particularly the dragon associated with the Emperor could result in death. The dragon of Chinese culture is generally portrayed as a long, scaly serpent, with or without wings. It has four legs with a variable number of claws depending on the social status of the associated human.

Dragons look very much like an amalgam of many animals. Since the number nine is very important to the culture and is a symbol of good luck, the dragon is said to represent nine different animals. Many disagree on which animals, though. In general, it is felt that a dragon head resembles a camel and has horns like a deer. Rabbit eyes, bull ears, and an iguana neck follow. The lower body consists of a frog's belly, tiger paws, and a carp's scales. It has the talons of an eagle, large pointed teeth, and long whiskers. It truly sounds terrifying to Western sensibilities, but is considered the ultimate symbol of the divine for the Chinese.

What types of dragons are there?

All dragons can be referred to as a "lung", but not all dragons are the same. They vary by type and color, each permutation having a special meaning. As is custom, there are nine types of dragons traditionally accepted, but there are many other types not included in the most basic lists. For instance, the Li is referred to as the homeless dragon. The dragons who appear in myth are usually one of the nine listed here.

Celestial Dragons: These dragons most closely resemble the angels of Western culture. They assist the gods, pull chariots, and are considered the supreme dragons. They are the protectors of the realm and property of the gods and are held in very high esteem.

Spiritual: This dragon can sometimes be vengeful. It controls the wind and rain and has been known to bring famine and floods. Offerings and appeasements were made to the spiritual dragon for the protection of the community from the weather. This type of dragon has a special subset known as the Imperial Dragon. They are represented with five toes while all other dragons had four, illustrating that it is above ordinary dragons as the emperor is above ordinary men. The Imperial Dragon was the exclusive

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