,,the ,,chinese ,,dragon                
,,by                              ,l4   
,,newton ,,hayes                        
,,with ,,an ,,introduction ,,by         
,,fong ,f4 ,,sec1 ,,ll4,d4              
,,third ,,edition                       
,,commercial ,,press1 ,,limited         
,,shanghai1 ,,china                     
#aibc                  ,,introduction   
,the subject of this little book is of  
general interest to people who  are     
acquainted with things ,chinese4 ,the   
dragon has played a large part  in      
,chinese thought through four thousand  
and more years4 ,even in these  days of 
the ,republic it still fills an         
important place in ,chinese life4       
,the dragon is one of the most common   
ornamental designs in ,china and  one   
meets it wherever one goes in this      
country4 ,however1 in spite of  the     
significance attached to the dragon1    
very little has ever been  written      
concerning it in either ,chinese or     
,english4 ,only a few general  articles 

on this subject have been published in  
magazines1 and the  references to it in 
books are very brief4 ,no independent   
study of the  dragon in book form has   
been made in either of these two        
languages  until now4    ,the author is 
peculiarly fitted to undertake this     
piece of work4 ,he was  born in ,china  
and speaks the ,chinese language as a   
native4 ,thus he has  had the first-hand
 knowledge and the language to help him 
in his study4  ,he has been studying on 
the subject of the dragon for fourteen  
years4  ,in this time he has traveled   
over more than one half the number of   
provinces of ,china4 ,the study is      
therefore not the result of a few       
month's investigation1 nor is it the    
product of research in only one  city or
 province4 ,the author's acquaintance   
with the people and the  language of    
,china have made it possible for him to 
go to original  sources and to study the
 subject from every angle4    ,perhaps  
the last word on the ,chinese dragon is 

not yet said1  nevertheless it is safe  
to say that this treatise is as complete
 as our  present knowledge will permit4 
,this little volume should be of value  
to  all who are interested in ,china4   
,this account of the dragon will not    
only be of value to foreigners1 but  it 
will also be such to ,chinese4 ,the     
author has made this study a hobby  for 
many years and the result of his        
research is a splendid  contribution to 
the literature on ,china4 ,it would be a
 good idea for  more people to take up  
the study of other phases of ,chinese   
life in the  same way and thus help to  
interpret ,china to the ,west4          
,fong ,f4 ,sec4                         
,may #i1 #aibb4                         
,,preface      ,in the spring of #aiji  
the writer had the honor of being a     
guest for a  week in the summer home of 
,dr4 ,w4 ,a4 ,p4 ,martin1 near ,peking4 
,many  residents of the ,capital during 
the decade preceding the ,revolution1   
and for a number of years before that1  

knew 8,pearl ,grotto0 and visited  the  
venerable senior missionary of ,china1  
then lately retired from the            
,presidency of the ,imperial ,tung ,wen 
,college4    ,dr4 ,martin was a scholar 
of the old school and enjoyed few       
pursuits  better than that of reviewing 
his remarkable memory of the classical  
writers4 ,during the meals the old      
gentleman1 then nearly eighty1 would    
quote readily from ,homer1 ,horace1 and 
,virgil1 and would ask his guest  to    
translate the passages freely into      
,english and to cite the books and      
chapters quoted4    ,after a few days in
 this uncomfortable situation the guest 
began to  cast about for some means of  
relief4 ,at that time he had been in the
  country but a few months1 and was just
 beginning a general study of  ,chinese 
art4 ,the dragon1 among other objects of
 interest1 particularly  attracted his  
attention4 ,it occurred to him to ask   
,dr4 ,martin some  questions about this 
creature whose form was so popular with 

the  ,chinese4 ,accordingly a carefully 
prepared list of six or seven  questions
 about the dragon was launched one      
morning across the  breakfast table     
before the attack of ,greek and ,latin  
began4 ,the first  question met with a  
noncommittal reply1 the second fared    
little better1  and so on to the end4   
,then ,dr4 ,martin admitted that this   
was one of the  subjects about which he 
knew very little4 ,he was1 however1 very
 warm in  his desire to help find       
answers to these questions1 and he      
referred his  guest to his personal     
friend1 ,sir ,robert ,hart1 the         
,inspector ,general of  the ,imperial   
,customs1 who had also lived fifty years
 in ,china4  ,unfortunately ,sir        
,robert's replies were as vague as those
 of the  retired ,professor4 ,the       
questions which were asked of these two 
eminent  ,sinologues were also submitted
 to several other ,british and          
,americans  in ,peking1 and later to    
many ,chinese1 but with similar results4

    ,it soon became evident that if the 
searcher for light on 8,things          
,chinese0 were to learn much about this 
creature which had challenged  his      
attention1 he must look it up from      
original sources4 ,he was later         
convinced of this fact when he found it 
impossible to secure any  satisfactory  
information from books published in     
,english4 ,he then  resolved that before
 he himself was fifteen years in the    
country he  would have answers to the   
seven questions which he had asked of   
his  friends in ,peking4 ,the contents  
of this brochure are the results of a   
study made in ten provinces of ,china   
over a period of fourteen years4  ,while
 this volume is not offered as the final
 word upon this subject1  it probably   
represents the most exhaustive study    
thus far given to the  ,chinese dragon4 
,this book is not intended primarily for
 ,sinologues and it contains no         
,chinese characters4 ,the volume is     
written for the average reader1 who  in 

his study of things ,chinese1 has little
 time to go to original  sources4 ,most 
people do not wish to be burdened with  
long quotations to  prove abstract      
hypotheses or to have ,chinese          
characters inserted in the  text        
repeatedly to break the sequence4    ,if
 later interest in this subject         
justifies it1 a larger work will be     
attempted and a more detailed           
presentation of the material thus far   
collected will be made4 ,the writer's   
purpose in this book has been to  make  
as clear a statement of the subject as  
could be done within the  compass of a  
small book1 without introducing         
unnecessary material4 ,if  he has       
succeeded in this endeavor1 he will be  
more than gratified4                    
,,contents                              
,page      ,introduction                
vii      ,preface                       
ix      ,illustrations                  
xv        ,,chapter ,,one      ,the     
,place of the ,dragon in ,chinese ,life 

#c        ,,chapter ,,two      ,how the 
,dragon ,idea ,originated               
#aj        ,,chapter ,,three      ,the  
,varieties of ,dragons                  
#ae        ,,chapter ,,four      ,what  
,dragons ,really ,look ,like            
#bc        ,,chapter ,,five      ,people
 ,who ,have ,seen ,dragons              
#ca        ,,chapter ,,six      ,the    
,dragon in ,western ,mythology          
#ch        ,,chapter ,,seven            
,quaint ,beliefs ,about the ,dragon     
#de        ,,chapter ,,eight      ,how  
,dragons ,control the ,fortunes of ,men 
#ea        ,,chapter ,,nine      ,the   
,hold of the ,dragon on ,china          
#eg                  ,,illustrations    
,bronze ,dragon1 ,kang ,hsi ,period     
,dragon ,colonnade at ,chufu            
,frontispieces                          
,page      ,emperor ,kang ,hsi in       
,dragon ,robes               #a         
,the ,dragon ,throne of the ,recent     
,emperors       #b      ,the ,han       
,dynasty ,dragons                       

#g      ,the ,porcelain ,dragon ,screen 
#h      ,the ,dragon ,staircase         
#ac      ,an ,imperial ,dragon          
#ad      ,tablet to ,confucius          
#ag      ,dragon ,gateway               
#ah      ,the ,dragon ,stone            
#ba      ,dragon ,eaves-,tile           
#bb      ,dragon-,guarded ,astrolabe    
#be      ,surrounded by ,dragons        
#bf      ,a ,dragon-,mounted ,bell      
#bi      ,a ,cloud ,dragon              
#cj      ,circular ,dragon ,eaves-,tile 
#ce      ,chien ,lung ,vases            
#cf      ,a ,living ,dragon             
#dc      ,two ,porcelain ,dragons       
#dd      ,the 8,dragon ,square0         
#di      ,the 8,dragon ,disk0           
#ej      ,emperor ,kang ,hsi on the     
,dragon ,throne         #ee      ,a     
,dragon ,lantern                        
#ef      ,a ,dragon ,column             
#ei      ,the ,gateway to the ,dragon   
,well                #fj      ,the      
,dragon ,tablet                         
#fc      ,a ,dragon ,boat ,race in      

,foochow                 #fd            
,,chapter ,,one    ,,the ,,place ,,of   
,,the ,,dragon ,,in ,,chinese ,,life    
,there are real dragons living in ,china
 to-day4 ,these are not the  horrible   
monsters that some have imagined them to
 be4 ,they are friendly  creatures      
highly revered by all the people4 ,they 
possess marvelous  powers and they      
occasionally permit themselves to be    
seen by mortal  eyes4 ,such is the      
belief of at least seven out of every   
ten ,chinese4    ,the popular belief in 
the dragon is so deeply rooted and so   
widespread  that it is advisable for one
 to secure an accurate knowledge of the 
,chinese idea of the venerated saurian  
if he desires to gain a truly           
sympathetic understanding of this       
remarkable people4 ,nearly every phase  
of ,chinese life bears evidence of the  
influence of this unique member  of the 
animal kingdom4 ,particularly is this   
true in the realms of their  art1       
literature1 folklore1 zology1 history1  

and religion4    ,chinese art employs   
dragon designs in endless variety4 ,the 
graceful  lines of its symmetrically    
proportioned body are found in every    
part of  the country painted upon silks 
and porcelain1 woven into brocades1     
carved on wood1 embroidered upon satin1 
cast in bronze1 and chiseled  upon      
marble4 ,it is the most                 
characteristically ,chinese of the many 
,oriental designs which are so          
attractive to ,western students of art4 
,the literature of the country abounds  
in references to this marvelous         
creature as one may readily discover by 
even a cursory study of its  books of   
history1 poetry1 letters1 medicine1 and 
fiction4    ,chinese folklore is replete
 with countless entertaining stories of 
the  wonderful feats of this great      
animal1 while an infinite number of     
proverbs and old folks' sayings bear    
their testimony to the almost  universal
 belief in its existence4    ,popular   
zology places the dragon next to man1 at

 the head of the list  of all living    
creatures1 thus occupying the position  
of the lion or  tiger in our ,western   
classification4 ,strictly speaking1     
,chinese natural  history gives the     
dragon the rank of king only of         
scale-covered animals  or creatures     
which live in the sea2 the two fabulous 
creatures1 the ,chi  ,ling and the      
,phnix respectively1 have first place   
above all beasts and  other animals     
which live upon the earth1 and all birds
 and other  creatures which fly in the  
air4 ,but because the dragon is equally 
at  home in the air and on the earth1 as
 well as in the sea1 it has been  ranked
 as the ruler of all created life below 
man4    ,chinese geomancy for ages has  
looked to the dragon as a means of      
determining the fates and fortunes of   
the 8,sons of ,han40 ,until very        
recently comparatively few ,chinese     
would build a house or bury a corpse    
without first consulting a geomancer1   
who would1 in one way or another1  refer

 to its probable influence upon his     
action4 ,it is1 moreover1 a  generally  
accepted belief that every twelfth hour1
 day1 month1 and year  of the lunar     
calendar are under the dragon's         
dominating control4    ,chinese history 
records scores of appearances of the    
king of beasts  through the four        
thousand or more years since the age of 
the three  mythical rulers4 ,appearances
 of the dragon are connected with the   
stories of many prominent characters of 
,china's past4 ,perhaps the most        
noteworthy reference is one which states
 that two dragons as guards of  honor   
visited the home of ,confucius on the   
day that great sage was  born4 ,these   
frequent references to the dragon are   
considered1 for the  most part1 by the  
majority of ,chinese scholars quite as  
authentic as  the statements about the  
famous worthies themselves4    ,chinese 
religion places the dragon in the       
calendar of its deities as  the ,god of 
,rain and the ,ruler of ,rivers1 ,lakes1

 and ,seas4 ,as such it  has been       
worshiped for centuries4 ,there are     
probably very few cities of  any size in
 the whole country which1 at least until
 the recent  revolution1 were without a 
temple or shrine to the dragon king4    
,this  deity was worshiped on the first 
and fifteenth of every month4    ,in the
 opinion of the writer dwellers in other
 lands commonly think of  the dragon in 
much the same light as they think of the
 centaurs1 of  ,geryon or the ,minotaur 
of ,grecian fables3 a strange mythical  
creature  merely the product of human   
fancy4 ,it is also probable that most of
  them think that the majority of       
,chinese consider it in the same way1   
but this is a mistaken conception4 ,it  
may be considered a very  conservative  
estimate to state that at least three   
hundred and sixty  million ,chinese     
believe in the actual existence of      
dragons as firmly as  other peoples     
believe that there are such animals as  
tigers roaming in  the jungles of       

,bengal and such monsters as walruses   
wandering over the  icy stretches which 
border the arctic circle1 though they   
themselves  may never have set foot upon
 the shores of ,india nor have crossed  
the  ,arctic ,sea4    ,quite recently   
the writer made a localized study of the
 universality of  the belief in dragons4
 ,one hundred representative ,chinese of
 different  ages and walks in life in an
 important city were asked the following
  questions3 ,do you believe in the     
present existence of the dragon8 ,and   
what percentage of the people of ,china 
do you think hold this belief8          
,eighty-two of the one hundred answered 
the first question in the  affirmative4 
,regarding the universality of the      
belief in the dragon  these men         
estimated that at least eighty-six and  
six-tenths per cent of  their fellow    
nationals believe in its existence4 ,the
 above study bore  out very accurately  
the writer's estimate of the extent of  
the popular  belief in the dragon4 ,his 

judgment was based upon questions asked 
many  scores of ,chinese in ten         
different provinces of the country      
through a  period of fourteen years4    
,,chapter ,,two    ,,how ,,the ,,dragon 
,,idea ,,originated      ,the elaborate 
conception of the dragon which we find  
to-day in ,chinese  art and literature  
is undoubtedly a very different animal  
from the one  which was responsible for 
the origin of the dragon idea4 ,the     
fabled sea  serpent1 the alligator1 the 
salamander1 and the boa constrictor have
  each been regarded as the prototype of
 this unique creature4 ,it is far  more 
likely1 however1 that some antediluvian 
saurian was the true  source from which 
the dragon idea has sprung4 ,back in the
 dawn of  history some early member of  
the human race may have met with one of 
these monstrous creatures which         
paleontologists tell us were1 in some   
period of their development1 equally at 
home on land and in the sea1  and       
because of its gigantic size and        

marvelous powers attributed to it  a    
supernatural origin4 ,in later ages1    
even the unearthed skeleton of  one of  
these monsters might have been          
sufficient to have led to the  inception
 of the story4 ,if this theory is       
correct it is easy to  understand how   
through succeeding ages the belief could
 have grown and  how superstition and   
coincidence would have done their share 
to  elaborate from the early monster the
 marvelous creature of the present  day4
    ,according to the theory advanced   
above1 the writer believes that the     
most probable prototype of the dragon is
 the ,brontosaurus of the  ,mesozoic    
age1 although the present conception of 
the dragon may easily  have sprung from 
such other prehistoric animals1 as the  
plesiosaurus of  the same period or the 
,iguanodon of the ,cenozoic age4        
,skeletons of  these giants of the      
saurian family and pictures of the      
reconstructed  animals indicate a       
striking resemblance to the graceful    

creatures that  dominate the art of     
,china4    ,the first appearance of the 
true dragon1 according to the records of
  what is considered to be authentic    
,chinese history1 occurred some         
forty-six centuries ago during the reign
 of ,huang ,ti1 or ,hsuan ,yuan1  the   
third of the five great rulers4 ,we are 
told that after this  personage had     
reigned one hundred and eleven years a  
large dragon  appeared and took him to  
heaven upon his back4 ,since that day   
dragons  have been seen in every dynasty
 and by hundreds of witnesses1 as       
,chinese history abundantly attests4    
,dragon appearances were considered     
auspicious1 and augured well for the    
affairs of state4 ,in support of  this  
belief1 it is interesting to note that  
when the late ,president  ,yuan         
,shih-kai was trying to make himself    
emperor his friends made at  least one  
attempt to unearth what were supposed to
 be the bones of a  dragon4 ,this was   
done in order that the superstitious    

among his  countrymen might be led to   
feel that his desire to restablish the  
empire was according to the law of      
heaven4    ,for centuries it was the    
custom for anyone who saw a dragon1     
either  himself or through the          
magistrate of the district in which he  
lived1  immediately to announce the fact
 to the emperor4 ,in early days history 
was often counted from the appearance of
 a particular dragon4    ,a popular     
fable relates that ,y ,wang was able to 
end the great flood  #bbig ,b4,c4 only  
after he had succeeded in capturing the 
dragon1 who was  said to be responsible 
for the deluge4 ,the animal was chained 
in heavy  irons and imprisoned1 after   
which the flood subsided4 ,ever since   
that  time all dragons1 we are told1    
have trembled at the memory of the only 
man who ever conquered their kind4      
,,chapter ,,three    ,,the ,,varieties  
,,of ,,dragons      ,to the majority of 
people the word 8dragon0 denotes one    
animal only4  ,there are1 however1 at   

least eight species of animals which    
bear this  name4 ,these are the ,lung   
,wang1 the ,shen ,lung1 the ,li ,lung1  
the ,chiao  ,lung1 the ,ying ,lung1 the 
,chiu ,lung1 the ,tsao ,lung1 and the   
,tu ,lung4  ,they all belong to the     
genus dragon 7,lung71 but each has one  
or more  characteristics which          
differentiates it from the others4 ,for 
example1  the ,li ,lung1 or ,chih ,lung1
 as it is also named1 has and is the    
only  species which possesses wings4 ,it
 is1 however1 but one of these  species1
 the ,shen ,lung1 which will be         
considered at this time4 ,of the  eight 
varieties this is the one best known4   
,the others may be dismissed  with a    
word4 ,dr4 ,williams1 in his 8,middle   
,kingdom10 mentions only three          
varieties and says that these are       
respectively dragons of the sky1 of  the
 sea1 and of marshes4 ,however1 it seems
 that the ,chinese are not  generally   
accustomed to make such a               
classification4 ,they rather  consider  

that the one species1 ,shen ,lung1      
controls and operates in all  of these  
three spheres4 ,most of the other       
varieties are minor creatures  which are
 practically unknown and have slight    
bearing upon this study4  ,the one      
exception to this rule is the ,lung     
,wang1 or dragon king4 ,this  species   
differs from the others in that its     
members possess a dragon's  head upon a 
human body4 ,by some this dragon is said
 to answer to  ,neptune in ,western     
mythology4 ,each ocean has a dragon     
king4 ,the members  of this species     
differ from those of the one in which we
 are the most  interested in that dragon
 kings rarely grow old and never die4   
,the  remaining varieties are all quite 
secondary and practically never  appear 
in any form of art4 ,these are mentioned
 only occasionally in  ,chinese         
literature4 ,this article will therefore
 be confined to an  account of the ,shen
 ,lung1 or spirit dragon1 the real      
dragon1 the dragon  which has held      

,china in its spell since the days of   
,yao and ,shun4    ,all true dragons are
 of two kinds3 those which are such by  
birth and  those which become dragons by
 transformation from fish of the carp   
species4 ,the transformed variety become
 dragons by leaping up the  waters of a 
certain cataract upon a western mountain
 stream4 ,large  numbers of carp swim   
once each year1 we learn1 to this       
waterfall known  as the 8,dragon's      
,gate40 ,here under the cataract they   
flounder about1  jumping and springing  
up out of the swirling waters2 a few of 
them  succeed in getting over the falls 
to the higher waters above4 ,those      
which are successful in this effort     
become dragons4 ,after the story of     
this strange occurrence became known to 
the public1 it was incorporated  into   
the life of the people in a popular     
saying1 and scholars who  succeeded in  
passing the great triennial literary    
examinations were  said to have 8passed 
the ,dragon ,gate40 ,the use of this    

figure was  doubtless to illustrate the 
difficulty of passing the examinations1 
for  it implied that it was as difficult
 a task for a man to succeed at  these  
examinations as it was for the carp to  
leap up over the falls4  ,this figure   
has1 in addition1 the happy inference   
that even as the  carp1 an ordinary     
fish1 might become a mighty dragon1 just
 so by this  supreme effort a scholar   
might become a master of arts1 thus     
placing  the value of the transformation
 on a very high scale4    ,one ancient  
authority tells us that there is a class
 of these great  saurians which are     
known as 8lazy dragons40 ,these do not  
like to exert  themselves in the task of
 directing clouds which carry rain over 
the  surface of the earth4 ,they        
sometimes make themselves small in size1
  drop to the surface of the earth and  
hide in trees1 under roofs of  houses1  
and even in the clothing of unsuspecting
 countrymen4 ,the  ,thunder ,god1       
learning of their desertion from their  

posts of duty1  sends his messengers to 
search for them and when he discovers   
their  location1 kills them with        
thunderbolts during an electric storm1  
after  the manner of ,zeus4 ,this       
explains to many an unsophisticated man 
the  frequent destruction of life and   
property during thunderstorms4 ,an      
epithet that in some parts of the       
country is often hurled at lazy  people 
is 8,lan ,lung10 or 8lazy dragon40      
,,chapter ,,four    ,,what ,,dragons    
,,really ,,look ,,like                  
,comparatively few ,chinese of the older
 generation seem to question the        
existence of dragons or to doubt the    
marvelous powers usually  attributed to 
them4 ,in view of this fact it is       
surprising to find how  ignorant is the 
average person who holds this belief    
when asked to give  an accurate         
description of the great creature4      
,perhaps this is not  strange1 however1 
when we remember that there are         
apparently no books  which purport to   

give any complete account of the dragon4
 ,the  innumerable references to it in  
,chinese literature largely deal with   
the dragon's performances and say little
 about his appearance4 ,in order  to    
make a satisfactory study of the dragon 
one must1 therefore1 follow  a tedious  
process of collecting1 eliminating1 and 
cordinating a  multitude of stories1    
proverbs1 and incidents from history1   
and make a  careful study of selected   
pictures and carvings1 and if possible  
secure  interviews with those who       
profess to have seen the great king of  
the  animal creation4    ,one writer1   
who is anxious to make intelligible to  
the average person  the accepted        
representation of the king of all       
created life below man1  describes the  
dragon in terms of animals with many of 
which we are  quite familiar4 ,he says  
that it has the head of a camel1 the    
horns of a  deer1 the ears of a cow1 the
 neck of a snake1 the body of a fish1   
the  scales of a carp1 the claws of an  

eagle1 the eyes of a devil1 and the     
paws of a tiger4    ,the bodies of all  
dragons1 we are informed1 are           
symmetrically divided  into three       
sections of equal length1 these         
divisions being from the  point of the  
nose to the shoulders1 from the         
shoulders to the thighs1  and from the  
thighs to the tip of the tail4    ,the  
8,shoh ,wen10 a book written during the 
,tang dynasty1 says that the  dragon has
 the following marvelous powers3 8,it   
may cause itself to  become visible or  
invisible at will1 and it can become    
long or short1  and coarse or fine1 at  
its own good pleasure40 ,this wonderful 
versatility1 of course1 makes it        
difficult for us to find any recorded   
statement of the maximum length of this 
creature1 since there is no  limit set  
for its expansion4 ,another book of the 
,tang dynasty helps out  a little1      
however1 when it describes a certain    
dragon1 which was found  dead1 as having
 been over one hundred feet long1 while 

other accounts  lead us to believe that 
the dragon at times assumes a size      
several  miles in length4 ,the smallest 
size of which any statement has been    
found was the length of a silkworm4     
,in color1 dragons are differentiated as
 being red1 yellow1 blue1 white1  or    
black4 ,during the ,manchu dynasty1     
yellow was the imperial color1 and  the 
yellow or golden dragon was designated  
the imperial dragon4 ,in the  preceding 
dynasty1 the ,ming dynasty1 when red was
 the national color1  it is believed    
that the red dragon was proclaimed1 by  
decree of the  emperor1 the official    
dragon of the empire4    ,every careful 
observer in the ,far ,east has noticed a
 difference in the  number of claws in  
the pictures of dragons--some possessing
 three1  others four1 and still others  
five claws4 ,the smallest number is     
found  on the dragons of ,japanese art4 
,ordinarily ,chinese dragons have four  
claws1 while those of five were         
recognized as imperial dragons4 ,the two

  types of ,chinese dragons1 with these 
slight variations1 are1 however1  one   
and the same species1 and are identical 
in every other respect4 ,an  attempt has
 been made to prove that the variation  
of claws from three  through four to    
five is a historic development1 but we  
can find no  conclusive proof to        
substantiate this theory4 ,it is        
possible that the  ancient dragon       
designs of ,china have only three claws 
on each foot4  ,japan borrowed her art  
from ,china1 and it is not unlikely that
 at the  period when she borrowed this  
design the ,chinese dragon was          
represented  with only three claws4     
,it is said of the carp that it always  
has exactly thirty-six scales in  each  
row1 leading from its head to its tail4 
,after the same manner1  dragons are    
described as possessing eighty-one      
scales in each series4    ,the true     
dragon has nine sons4 ,each is different
 in appearance from the  other and each 
possesses his own peculiar              

characteristics4 ,these  children of the
 dragon are the variants in appearance  
from the general  line which we are     
accustomed to look for in the dragon1   
and which we  often see in carvings and 
architecture4 ,the dragon heads on      
bells1 on  the peak tiles of temples and
 palaces1 on sword hilts1 on monuments1 
and in similar places are               
representations of the progeny of the   
,god of  ,rain and do not portray that  
god himself4                  ,,chapter 
,,five    ,,people ,,who ,,have ,,seen  
,,dragons      ,in spite of the fact    
that modern zology has never included in
 the  pages of its textbooks            
descriptions and pictures of the dragon 
as a  creature of reality1 yet there are
 men in ,china to-day who claim to  have
 seen these animals1 some of which have 
been described very  accurately4 ,the   
writer has had the pleasure of          
conversing with several  ,chinese who   
assert that they have seen the dragon at
 close range4 ,he  has also secured1 at 

secondhand1 information from others who 
are said  to have looked upon this most 
marvelous of creatures4 ,all of the men 
whom the writer interviewed were of     
sound mind and were accredited by  their
 acquaintances with being men of        
reliable character4 ,there is no  reason
 to believe that any one of them were   
inebriate or under the  power of        
hallucination at the time they witnessed
 the creatures of  their description4   
,a teacher in a ,tientsin school related
 that he once saw a dragon in his       
native province1 ,shantung4 ,the animal 
had been killed1 so it was  believed1 by
 the order of heaven1 as a punishment   
for some misdeed1 and  had fallen to the
 earth1 where it lay as the center of   
attraction for  hundreds of people who  
came in crowds from that whole          
countryside4 ,its  appearance was       
identical with that of the popular      
pictures with which  we are familiar4 ,a
 school servant1 who was also a native  
of ,shantung1  and whose home was near  

the sea1 declared that he once saw a    
dragon4 ,he  told the writer that it was
 about fifteen feet long and that it    
fell to  the earth during a severe      
rainstorm4 ,it1 too1 attracted a large  
crowd  of spectators4 ,although this man
 was unable to give very satisfactory   
details1 yet his unusual earnestness and
 apparent sincerity were  convincing    
evidence that he had really seen a      
monster of a remarkable  type4    ,a    
third person1 an elderly gentleman1 who 
is a teacher of classics in  one of the 
schools of ,nanking1 informed the writer
 that when he was a  young man a dragon 
fell one night from the sky and lay for 
twenty-four  hours near his home4 ,the  
country folk respectfully covered it    
with  matting1 but he managed to raise  
the covering and saw its great cowlike  
head1 its four legs1 and its            
scale-covered body4 ,it was about fifty 
feet long and blue in color4 ,as in the 
other two cases1 this dragon            
disappeared from the earth during a     

heavy storm4 ,it was generally  believed
 that it came to life again and was     
taken up into the heavens  upon a cloud1
 which formed beneath its body4    ,the 
artist who drew the picture of the cloud
 dragon recounted that1  during the     
thirty-fourth year of the ,emperor      
,kuang ,hsu1 while he  himself was on   
his way to ,peking to receive the seals 
of a district  magistrate1 he came      
across a dragon lying upon the banks of 
the ,yellow  ,river in ,shantung        
province4 ,it was blue in color and was 
several tens  of feet in length4 ,the   
whole air was filled with a very        
offensive salt  sea odor1 and out of    
respect for the creature1 which was     
supposed to  have fallen from heaven1   
the crowd of people that stood around   
was  busily engaged in sprinkling water 
upon its body4 ,the head resembled  that
 of a cow and the artist said that      
except for the long eyebrows the        
picture of the cloud dragon represented 
very faithfully what he  actually saw4  

,another ,chinese has related that a    
business partner of his1 while on a     
journey up the ,yangtze ,river1 saw     
three dragons crossing a mountain  range
 near the shore4 ,every person on board 
was spellbound as they  watched the     
three monsters--one yellow1 another     
white1 and the third  blue--as they     
majestically made their way with great  
undulating strides  up the mountain     
side4 ,the dragons passed by so near the
 boat that the  observers saw every     
detail of their heads and the lacelike  
scales of  their bodies4 ,the boat was  
respectfully stopped in mid-river1 and  
only  when the dragons had disappeared  
over the ridge did the boatmen resume   
their task at the oars4    ,various     
stories have come to the writer1 of     
dragons which have been  seen either    
riding upon banks of fog or dangling    
from passing clouds  during great       
windstorms or rainstorms4 ,invariably   
these have been  described as having    
scale-covered bodies4 ,one reasonable   

explanation  for the suspended dragons  
may be found in insipient tornadoes and 
water  spouts which never reach the     
ground4 ,there seems1 however1 to be no 
explanation for the dragon visits       
described by the five observers1  unless
 it be that strange monsters of the deep
 either crawled up out of  the river and
 lay on the bank1 in a dormant state1 or
 were sucked up by  ocean- or           
river-water spouts1 and when the columns
 of water broke over  the land the      
creatures were dropped far from their   
natural habitat4 ,two  difficulties at  
once present themselves to combat this  
hypothesis4 ,the  first of these is the 
improbability that there are such       
creatures in  existence1 and the second 
difficulty lies in the strangeness of   
their  disappearance after coming to the
 earth4 ,as a possible explanation of   
the first difficulty1 we wish to ask    
whether it is not possible that  there  
are still existing in the depths of the 
sea and in great rivers  curious        

reptiles and strange monsters such as no
 human beings now  living have ever     
seen1 the descendants of the mighty     
saurians which  lived upon the earth    
long ages ago1 and which geologists tell
 us later  entered the sea1 making that 
their more secretive habitat8    ,as an 
explanation for the disappearance of the
 dragon in these three  instances the   
writer notes two facts4 ,the dragons in 
each case were  seen on the banks of    
great rivers and in each case           
disappeared after a  heavy rain4 ,might 
it not have been that the monsters were 
in reality  not dead but only           
unconscious1 and that the heavy flood   
washed the  creatures back into the     
river whence they were carried out to   
sea8                  ,,chapter ,,six   
,,the ,,dragon ,,in ,,western           
,,mythology      ,the dragon is not a   
conception of the ,chinese mind alone4  
,it also  occupies a prominent place in 
the legends and literature of most of   
the  countries of ,europe4 ,cicero in   

his 8de ,divinatione0 7,book ,,ii1 line 
#cj71  ,euripides in his 8,philostratus0
 7,book ,i1 line #b71 and ,homer in the 
8,iliad0 7,book ,,ii1 line #cji7 all    
mention a dragon4    ,the ,bible1 in    
twenty-two references in the ,old       
,testament and thirteen  instances in   
the ,new1 refers to the dragon either   
allegorically or as a  real animal2     
however1 in many of these passages1     
especially in the ,old  ,testament1 the 
word 8dragon0 is an unfortunate         
rendition1 for in  several places the   
writers of the ,scriptures very         
evidently had the  conception of an     
animal that was in all probability the  
modern jackal4    ,the myths and legends
 of ,europe have preserved for us       
numerous dragon  stories with which we  
are more or less familiar4 ,among others
 are the  tale of ,perseus1 who rescued 
,andromeda from a dragon2 the story of  
,st4  ,george and the ,dragon2 the      
account of ,sigfried1 who killed a      
dragon at  ,worms2 and the story of     

,beowulf1 who in the early days of      
history's  dawn dispatched a dragon     
after slaying ,grendel4    ,king        
,arthur1 who was spoken of as the 8dread
 ,pendragon10 is described  by          
,tennyson1 in his 8,idylls of the       
,king10 as sitting upon a veritable     
dragon throne which would vie in        
splendor with that of ,china's ,manchu  
emperors4 ,the vivid imagination of the 
poet laureate gives us this  picture3   
8,to his crown the golden dragon clung  
,and down his robe the dragon writhed in
 gold          ,and from the carven work
 behind him crept          ,two dragons 
gilded1 sloping down to make            
,arms to his chair1 while all the rest  
of them          ,through knots and     
loops and folds innumerable1            
,fled ever through the woodwork till    
they found          ,the new design     
wherein they lost themselves40          
,many coast and river cities of         
,england1 ,france1 ,italy1 and ,egypt   
still  proudly recount their local      

legends of cruel dragons which were     
slain1  after battles royal1 upon       
near-by rivers or in adjacent seas4 ,we 
may  read of the ,green ,dragon of      
,mordiford1 the ,dragon of ,norwich1 the
 ,great  ,dragon of ,pittempton1 the    
,dragon of ,naples1 the ,dragon of      
,arles1 the  ,dragon of ,lyons1 the     
,dragon of ,marseilles1 ,sebec1 the     
,dragon of the  ,nile1 and many more4   
,these stories are proudly treasured as 
the sacred  traditions of their         
respective cities and countries4    ,the
 ,chinese conception of the dragon      
presents a very different creature  from
 that of the nations bordering on the   
,mediterranean and the  ,atlantic4 ,it  
is true that there are a few points of  
similarity1 but  there is only one to   
which we shall call attention at this   
time4 ,that  is regarding its keenness  
of eyesight4 ,both types are endowed    
with  marvelous vision4 ,the ,chinese   
dragon is deaf and it is explained that 
its eyes1 through natural compensation1 

have attained an extraordinary  power4  
,his vision is so keen that he can      
easily distinguish a blade of  grass one
 hundred li away4 ,in this connection it
 is interesting to  recall that the     
,english word 8dragon0 is derived from  
the ,greek  8drakon0 771 which means 8to
 gaze0 or 8to see10 and the classics    
more than once refer to the animal as   
8sharpsighted40    ,we do not know who  
first attached the ,english name        
8dragon0 to the  ,chinese conception    
8lung10 but it is hardly fair to the    
,oriental ruler  of the sea to be       
branded with the stigma which           
accompanies the ,english  designation4  
,since the recent revolution1 several   
devout ,westerners  have been heard to  
express their great satisfaction that   
the dragon  flag has now forever        
disappeared4 ,a misconception of the use
 of the  word 8dragon0 had caused the   
speakers to confuse the evil monster    
mentioned in the book of ,revelation    
with the animal so highly revered  by   

the ,chinese4 ,the dragon of the        
,chinese differs from the generally     
accepted ,western idea in three striking
 particulars3 in appearance1 in         
disposition1 and in the regard in which 
it is held4    ,in appearance1 the      
,european conception varies but slightly
 from the  creature which was its       
probable prototype1 save for the        
addition of a  pair of wings4 ,the      
,chinese species is developed to a      
higher degree4 ,the  latter has a more  
massive head from which protrude two    
branching horns4  ,this species1 with   
the single exception of the ,chih ,lung1
 or ,li ,lung1  has no wings but travels
 from place to place upon the clouds4   
,a still greater difference between the 
two varieties exists in the  matter of  
disposition4 ,the ,european dragon is   
usually portrayed as a  cruel monster1  
the personification of all that is evil1
 and the enemy  of man4 ,christian art  
represents it as opposed to law1        
harmony1 and  progress and symbolic of  

sin and paganism4 ,in this allegorical  
sense it  is painted in struggles with  
,st4 ,george1 ,st4 ,michael1 and ,st4   
,sylvester1 who personified             
,christianity and enlightenment4 ,saints
 and  martyrs are pictured in the       
process of crushing the dragon beneath  
their feet4 ,the ,chinese dragon1 on the
 other hand1 is in this respect  very   
nearly its antithesis4 ,it is a         
beneficent creature1 a friend to  man4  
,it brings the rain which produces the  
crops that in turn supply  his food4    
,the third point of distinction between 
the two dragons lies in the  esteem in  
which it is held4 ,the ,western species 
was a horrible1  loathesome creature1   
shunned and dreaded by all mortals1     
while the  ,asiatic dragon is held in   
reverence and even worshiped by the     
,chinese4  ,this creature is in fact so 
highly revered that one of the most     
sacred  titles which was bestowed upon  
the emperors was 8,the ,true ,dragon40  
,,chapter ,,seven    ,,quaint ,,beliefs 

,,about ,,the ,,dragon      8,the       
whiskers of the dragon10 according to a 
book of the ,yuan dynasty1  8are three  
feet long and purple in color4 ,if      
dragon whiskers are  mounted upon a     
crystal handle like a horsehair whip and
 are placed in a  room at night1 flies  
and mosquitoes will not enter40 ,we are 
further  informed that 8if this         
instrument is swished through the air it
 will  make such a noise that chickens1 
dogs1 cows1 and horses on hearing it    
will try to hide4 ,if dragon whiskers   
are placed in deep water all            
scale-covered animals will swim         
immediately to the spot1 thinking that  
their master1 the dragon1 is there40    
,a strange fire plays about the body of 
the dragon4 ,this differs from  the fire
 with which we are familiar in that it  
blazes brightly when  brought into      
contact with water4 ,if1 however1       
terrestrial fire touches  the dragon    
flames1 the latter will immediately be  
extinguished4    ,as long as the dragon 

has moisture in the form of water or    
clouds  surrounding its body1 it retains
 its marvelous powers of motion and of  
mutability1 but when this moisture dries
 up1 the dragon becomes  powerless and  
dies4    ,it is said that the blood of  
some dragons is red2 of others1 black4  
,rubies are often supposed to be        
petrified drops of the red variety4     
,we are informed of the remarkable fact 
that dragons change their bones         
periodically and as regularly as snakes 
shed their skins and deer their  horns4 
,dragon bones are supposed to be buried 
in many high mountains1  and their      
presence has much to do with the        
determination of fng-shui4  ,lofty peaks
 that are frequently tipped with clouds 
or enveloped in mist  are believed to   
contain the bones of some great dragon  
which attract to  themselves the        
moisture of the passing clouds4    ,the 
saliva of the dragon1 we are told1 is   
purple in color1 and is  considered the 
most fragrant of all perfumes4 ,it is   

said to be employed  in the manufacture 
of a very valuable incense4 8,dragon's  
saliva  incense0 was formerly sent as a 
tribute to the emperor by one of the    
western provinces4    ,one writer       
expresses a remarkable theory of the    
dragon's posthumous  state4 ,he says    
that when they die dragons turn into    
crabs4 ,dragons are  punished for minor 
offenses1 according to the will of      
heaven1 by having  their ears cut off2  
for greater offenses1 by being sent to  
the earth1  where they are exposed to   
the view of men in a state as if dead4  
,three things of which dragons are      
exceedingly fond are bamboo trees1      
arsenic1 and the flesh of swallows4 ,the
 graceful branches of the bamboo  are   
very pleasing to the eye of the dragon  
who1 when there is no human  being in   
sight1 delights to lie under their shade
 and hear the wind  rustling the leaves 
above4 ,arsenic1 which is to mortal man 
a deadly  poison1 is food to the dragon4
 ,in fact1 it is a favorite article of  

diet1 and dragons grow fat upon it4 ,the
 delicacy1 however1 for which  the      
dragon has the greatest fondness1 is    
swallows' flesh4 ,woe to the  man who   
ever tries to cross a body of water in a
 boat after having  eaten a dish of     
roasted swallows1 for a peculiar        
fragrance1 which  dragons are always    
able to detect1 will cling to his       
person4 ,the man in  the boat will be   
pursued by one of these animals1 who    
will cause a  storm to rise1 the boat   
will be upset1 and the unfortunate      
person  precipitated into the water1    
where he will fall easy prey to the     
ruler  of the sea4 ,under ordinary      
conditions the dragon shows no fondness 
for  human flesh1 but with such         
provocation we are told that he should  
be  considered entirely excusable4      
,at the autumnal equinox1 according to  
one source1 the majority of  dragons    
descend into the sea where they         
hibernate for six months4 ,in  fact1 the
 home of dragons is on the floor of the 

ocean where they dwell  in beautiful    
palaces4 ,at the vernal equinox dragons 
leave the sea and  ascend again into the
 clouds4 ,destructive typhoons and      
equinoctial  hurricanes along the coast1
 in the spring and autumn1 are caused by
 the  disturbance of the waters when the
 great animals thus enter or leave      
their maritime home4                    
,,chapter ,,eight    ,,how ,,dragons    
,,control ,,the ,,fortunes ,,of ,,men   
,the surface of the earth is believed to
 be covered with a network of  invisible
 paths of the dragon known as ,lung     
,mei4 ,people who build their  houses or
 find graves for their dead upon one of 
these courses are  extremely fortunate4 
,the ruling emperors1 however1 made     
efforts to  prevent their subjects from 
occupying the positions upon such       
auspicious sites4 ,when ,chao ,ming1 the
 founder of the ,sung dynasty1  while   
still an unknown young man in reduced   
financial straits1 was  forced to move  
his father's bones1 he carried them in a

 reed bag and  buried them by accident  
upon one of these dragon paths4 ,as a   
result of  this fact1 we are told1      
heaven smiled upon him and he himself   
not long  afterward became an emperor4  
,within the past few years1 a young     
,chinese1 who had been studying in      
,japan1 committed suicide for political 
reasons while on his way across  the    
ocean4 ,because he was so well beloved  
he was buried by his friends  in a      
beautiful mountain valley on a dragon   
path4 ,the ,board of ,rites in  ,peking1
 on hearing of this1 ordered the grave  
removed1 sending telegram  after        
telegram to the local magistrates to    
have the coffin disinterred  at once and
 taken to another spot4 ,since the      
,revolution1 it is said  that the       
student's body has been taken back to   
its first resting place4    ,when       
,chinese observe the natural phenomenon 
which in the ,west is  commonly         
described as 8the sun drawing up water10
 they say that what is  seen is the     

dragon sucking up water to form the     
clouds4    ,when rain falls upon one    
man's field and not upon his neighbor's1
 or  upon one half of a man's farm and  
not upon the other1 one explanation     
which is advanced for this fact is that 
the line which marks the  division of   
dry and wet land is directly beneath the
 boundary line of  the territory        
governed by two different dragons4 ,one 
sees fit to order  rain when the other  
does not4 ,the territories controlled by
 the  different dragons are             
redistributed once each year1 on the    
seventeenth  of the third month1 which  
is known as 8,li ,hsia10 8,the ,festival
 of the  ,beginning of ,summer40    ,a  
few amusing illustrations of the way in 
which dragon superstitions  have been   
allowed to play a leading part in       
,chinese life have come to  the writer's
 attention4 ,a ,tientsin district       
magistrate1 about forty  years ago1     
tried to make an outlet from the ,pei   
,river in order to turn  off the water  

at the time of a flood4 ,after spending 
too much money in  what proved to be an 
unsuccessful effort1 he jumped into the 
river and  was drowned4 ,the story goes 
that the flood immediately subsided and 
the  official turned into a dragon4     
,shortly afterwards he was changed into 
a  snake and was captured4 ,this        
creature was carried in state into      
,tientsin ,city where it was placed in  
the dragon temple and was  worshiped by 
the viceroy of ,chihli province1 who was
 none other than ,li  ,hung ,chang4     
,this official later became prime       
minister and held that  position for    
twenty years4    ,in the heart of       
,wuchang there is a steep hill which    
cuts the business  part of the city into
 two sections4 ,this hill is so steep   
that it is  practically impossible to   
carry the traffic over it4 ,some        
,chinese claim  the hill to be the      
dwelling place of a tortoise1 others of 
a serpent1  and still others of a       
dragon4 ,some years ago1 when ,chang    

,chih ,tung was  living in that city as 
viceroy of ,hunan and ,hupeh1 he caused 
a tunnel  to be cut through the hill so 
that communication from one business    
center to the other would be            
facilitated4 ,not long after this was   
completed1 the viceroy began to suffer  
from a carbuncle on his neck4  ,chinese 
and foreign physicians alike failed in  
their attempts to cure  him4 ,at last a 
geomancer was consulted4 8,i know the   
reason for your  ,excellency's illness10
 he said without hesitation4 8,you have 
caused the  dragon's haunt to be        
penetrated4 ,block up the tunnel in the 
hill and  you will get well40 ,the thing
 was done1 the viceroy soon recovered1  
and  faith in the dragon on the part of 
the people of ,wuchang was more  firmly 
established than ever4 ,it might be     
added that since the  ,revolution the   
tunnel through the hill has again been  
opened4    ,many years ago large numbers
 of the students of ,hangchow ,city     
failed to  pass the ,chu ,jen1 or       

,master of ,arts1 ,examination4 ,the    
fact sorely  puzzled the city           
magistrates1 who lost much 8face40 ,no  
explanation  could be found for this    
fact until a geomancer explained that a 
dragon  living in the mountain range    
northwest of the city had no room to wag
  his head1 and that a large section of 
one end of the range must be dug  away  
before ,hangchow students would be able 
to succeed4 ,the geomancer's  suggestion
 was carried out1 the dragon was given  
the chance he desired1  and it is       
needless to say that since that time all
 has been well4                         
,,chapter ,,nine    ,,the ,,hold ,,of   
,,the ,,dragon ,,on ,,china      ,the   
word 8dragon0 occupies a prominent place
 in the common phraseology  of the      
country4 ,some illustrations of this    
fact are as follows3    ,deaf people are
 called 8lung10 a character formed by   
the combination of  the dragon and ear  
characters signifying a person with ears
 like a  dragon 7which we are informed  

is deaf74    ,the asparagus plant is    
known as 8dragon's beard grass40    ,the
 gentian flower is called the 8dragon's 
gall40    ,a common variety of pine is  
known as 8dragon's tail pine10 from the 
supposed similarity of its branches to  
the tail of the dragon4    ,amaryllis   
lilies and also the blossoms of a       
certain locust tree are  called         
8dragon's claw flowers40 ,this is no    
doubt on account of the  shape of the   
flower clusters4    ,fire engines are   
called 8water dragons40    ,locomotives 
and water faucets are commonly          
designated as 8dragon  heads40    ,the  
keel of a ship goes by the name of the  
8dragon bone40    ,water spouts are     
known as 8dangling dragons40 ,the name  
was probably  given them by junkmen and 
fishermen who considered these to be the
  tails of dragons suspended from the   
clouds4    ,spirited horses are said to 
have 8dragon dispositions40             
,betrothal certificates are known as    
8dragon-phnix papers40    ,wedding cakes

 are called 8dragon-phnix cakes40       
,the published list of ,master of ,arts 
graduates was known as the              
8,dragon-,tiger ,register40    ,a large 
number of cities1 prefectures1 rivers1  
and mountains have the  character       
8dragon0 incorporated into their names4 
,one of the largest  rivers of          
,manchuria and one of its three         
provinces are named ,hei ,lung  ,kiang  
7,black ,dragon ,river71 because it is  
related that a large black  dragon once 
made its appearance in its waters4      
,one of the most famous mountains of the
 province of ,kiangsi is known as  the  
8,dragon-,tiger ,mountain40    ,perhaps 
the most popular kind of tea in ,china  
is the 8,dragon's ,well  ,tea40 ,this   
received its designation from the fact  
that its original  home was in a valley 
of that name4 ,among the hills on the   
farther  shores of ,hangchow's beautiful
 ,west ,lake is nestled a monastery1 on 
the  estate of which is a pool of       
crystal-clear water4 ,from the depths of

  this 8well0 a dragon was once seen to 
rise4 ,the 8,dragon's ,well0 is now  the
 name of the monastery and also of the  
surrounding hills4 ,tea of  this name1  
though it may never have grown near     
,hangchow1 is as highly  prized in      
distant ,szechwan and in other distant  
parts of ,china as it is  in the capital
 of ,chekiang province4    ,in the      
excellent new encyclopedia recently     
issued by the ,commercial  ,press1 there
 are no less than #beg references to the
 dragon4 ,fifty-one  of these are the   
names of cities or villages1 twenty-four
 of mountains  and rivers1 and fifteen  
the names of flora of various genera4   
,the emperor's most reverential title   
was 8,the ,true ,dragon10 and in        
harmony with that idea the word 8dragon0
 in the adjectival sense was  used in   
names of all that had to do with his    
life and position4 ,as an  example of   
this his throne was the 8dragon's seat10
 his hands the  8dragon's claws10 the   
pen he used was the 8dragon's brush10   

the  imperial robes were called         
8dragon's garments10 and the imperial   
glance  was known as 8dragon's eyes40   
,the 8,dragon ,tablet0 was the name     
given to the imperial tablet1 which  was
 worshiped during the ,ching dynasty in 
every large temple and  monastery in the
 land1 and even in ,mohammedan mosques4 
,the inscription  on the tablet read as 
follows3 8,to the reigning ,emperor4    
,may he live  ten thousand years1 ten   
thousand years1 ten thousand times ten  
thousand  years40 ,the tablet received  
its name from the fact that it          
represented  the ,emperor1 8,the ,true  
,dragon10 and because it bore at its top
 a  dragon's head4    ,one insignia of  
official rank1 until the recent         
,revolution1 was the  picture-square    
embroidered in gold and silver thread   
and worn on the  front and back of      
official robes4 ,the squares worn by    
civil officers  bore the pictures of    
birds1 while those of military officials
 were  decorated with the pictures of   

animals2 each rank and grade having its 
corresponding variety of bird or beast4 
,the emperor1 the princes1 and  the     
prime minister were allowed the special 
privilege of wearing the  dragon on one 
of these embroidered squares4    ,the   
round disk on the ,chinese ,dragon      
,flag1 which is often pictured  before  
the mouth of the dragon1 is explained by
 some as a pearl1 by  others as a huge  
spider metamorphosed into a ball4 ,we   
are repeatedly  told in fables that     
dragons have a peculiar fondness for    
teasing  spiders4 ,a more satisfactory  
theory1 however1 is that the disk       
represents the sun4 ,according to this  
explanation1 the dragon is not  trying  
to devour that heavenly body1 as some   
would lead us to suppose1  but is gazing
 with a great longing1 for it desires to
 become like the  sun in brilliance4    
,in referring to the ,dragon ,flag1 the 
fact is worthy of notice that  although 
this design appeared upon ,chinese      
military banners through  many          

centuries1 the selection of the dragon  
emblem as a national  insignia was of   
comparatively recent date4 ,it is       
probable that the  custom of foreign    
nations of using national emblems had a 
large part to  play with the adoption of
 a national flag4    ,there is a feeling
 among many friends of ,china1 and even 
among a few  ,chinese as well1 that the 
effect of the ,revolution and the       
passing of  the ,dragon ,flag will very 
shortly kill out the dragon idea4 ,this 
the  writer believes is impossible4 ,a  
belief that has gripped the nation for  
over forty centuries is not to be shaken
 even by a great revolution1  which1    
though cataclysmic in itself1 yet in    
relation to the ages which  have passed1
 is little more than a ripple upon the  
surface of the sea  of time4 ,the dragon
 is neither a symbol of the ,manchu     
dynasty nor a  type of absolute         
monarchy1 and has nothing in common with
 either4 ,the  idea is distinctly a     
heritage of the ,chinese race itself1   

and as such  it will probably live as   
long as this people4 ,it will survive at
 least  until a generation after        
,western science has permeated and      
dominated  every seaside village1 every 
mountain hamlet1 and every inland city1 
to  the remotest bounds and limits of   
this vast ,republic4