The symbolic meaning of the dragon

There have always been many explanations for the symbolic meaning of "dragon": one view is that the dragon is regarded as a symbol of the Chinese nation, and the descendants of the Chinese nation are therefore descendants of the dragon; Another view is that the emperor is compared to the real dragon emperor, so the image of the dragon is regarded as a symbol of the feudal emperor. Both views have their own rationality, but only when viewed comprehensively under specific historical conditions can we accurately grasp the symbolic significance of "dragon"

Descendants of the Chinese nation are called "descendants of dragons", which come from ancient totems and legends. The core of totem worship is that an animal has a certain blood relationship with the clan and is the ancestor and relative of the clan, so it is also regarded as the symbol, symbol and protector of the clan. Dragon is the product of totem worship peculiar to China. According to archaeological research, dragon totems include snake body, horse head, antlers, talons and fish scales. It is the totem of the Chinese nation with snakes as its totem since ancient times, and it is formed by long-term integration with various ethnic tribes with horses, deer, sheep and eagles as their totems. In ancient times, dragons condensed and precipitated people's thoughts, feelings, expectations and beliefs, and became the totem of the ancestor of the Chinese nation. With the progress of history, the dragon evolved and sublimated into a kind of * * * same concept and ideology, and gradually became the symbol of the birthplace and cultural origin of the Chinese nation and the symbol of the Chinese national spirit. The dragon symbolizes the Chinese nation, and the Chinese nation is associated with the dragon. As a result, the legend of "born by feeling heaven" emerged around the dragon, and the ancestors of the Chinese nation, such as the Yellow Emperor, Yao and others, became the embodiment of the dragon. In this way, the descendants of the Chinese nation have become descendants of the dragon.

As for the dragon, as a symbol of the Chinese nation, how did it become a symbol of feudal autocratic emperors by becoming attached to the emperor? Of course, this is related to the ancestor worship of the dragon, an assistant of God, but more importantly, it is closely related to the imperial power characteristics of China feudal society. As we all know, ancient China was a patriarchal society with isomorphic family and country. Home is a country, and a country is a home. "All over the world, isn't it the land of kings?" The emperor regarded the country as private property, and the dragon was a symbol of the Chinese nation and ancient China. Therefore, in the autocratic feudal society, from the time Qin Shihuang was called the "ancestor dragon" to the time when Liu Bangshi officially appeared as a synonym for the emperor, emperors of all dynasties considered it "dragon". Later, some words with dragon characters gradually became emperor-specific words, such as "Long Qian" when the emperor was not in office or among the people (mostly referring to the founding king), "Long Xing" when the new dynasty was established, "Dragonfly" when the emperor ascended to the throne, "Dragon Face" when the emperor died, and "Long Zheng Tian", that is, Lapras ascended to heaven. There are also some emperors who are keen on taking dragons as titles. According to the statistics of researchers, in the history of China, there were no fewer than 20 kings with dragons as their titles.

In order to strengthen autocratic rule and ensure that their authority is not challenged, emperors also tap the use value of dragons, the most prominent performance of which is the control and monopoly of dragon patterns, which is concentrated in the use of costumes with dragon patterns. Only the emperor can use this kind of clothing, and it is considered an infringement for anyone else to use it casually. As for disrespect for the dragon, it is regarded as an affront to the monarch and autocratic imperial power, that is, the so-called "apotheosis of Han Feizi". Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the feudal autocratic imperial power politics in China has expanded extremely and reached its peak. Feudal emperors were extremely suspicious, and any act that intentionally or unintentionally offended imperial power was an act of committing a dragon's forest, which led to a series of ideological and cultural autocratic acts such as bloody murder and literary inquisition. In this way, the image of the dragon has increasingly become a symbol of feudal autocratic emperors.

Fortunately, the "dragon" can't help the despot. With the raging flames of the peasant revolution, the "real dragon emperor" has been constantly denied. After the Revolution of 1911 led by Sun Yat-sen in modern times, the feudal monarchy in China, which lasted for more than 2,000 years, was finally overthrown, and the image of the dragon lost its symbolic significance as a feudal autocratic emperor and became a symbol of the Chinese nation again.

The historical origin of dragons

Paleontologists have always believed that long-horned dragon is a fictional image of ancient ancestors, which only exists in myths and legends. However, 1996 The "Xinlong Man" fossil unearthed in Xinpu Township, Guanling County, Anshun City, Guizhou Province, has a pair of symmetrical "dragon horns" on its head, which is very similar to the mythical dragon and has attracted the attention of paleontologists. [ 17- 18]

The fossil is collected in Xingwei Paleontological Fossil Museum, Anshun City, Guizhou Province. Very well preserved, with a total length of 7.6 meters. Dragon horn grows from the left and right sides of the widest part of the head, with two symmetrical horns, about 27 cm long and slightly curved. This pair of "Dragon Horn" stands out from the dragon head, resembling the legendary dragon image. The "Dragon Horn" of the newly discovered "Xinlong Man" fossil in Guanling, Guizhou Province is the first discovery in China, which provides physical evidence for the horned dragon in ancient legends, provides a new idea for studying the origin of the dragon image, and has great scientific and historical value. [ 19]

New store "Xinlong"

It can be seen that perhaps the "dragon" has a true or generally true ancient prototype in form, but its function has been mythologized.

As a totem, the dragon is different from the general totem. It is not a single animal, but a collection of many animals, which highlights the great national spirit of the Chinese nation-harmonious thought. The earliest gods in ancient mythology were not people, but animals-totems. Primitive people can't distinguish the boundaries between human beings and animals, and think that an animal is its own ancestor and protector. This is a totem. Totem, as the ancestor and symbol of clan and tribe, is generally a single animal. When a clan and tribe have a merger war, the victors often destroy their totems after capturing each other, and the newly generated tribe still has a single totem. [20]

The ancients in China first recognized human nature and abandoned the concept of the law of the jungle. This kind of human nature was highlighted in the formation of the dragon totem. That is, in order to unite and get close to those clans and tribes that have been annexed, after eliminating this clan and tribe, they did not completely eliminate their totem of spiritual worship and cultural sustenance, but added some totem of losers to their own totem. Therefore, the image of the dragon is a symbol of harmony and unity, which shows the precious harmonious spirit of the ancient ancestors of the Chinese nation and is the source of the Chinese national spirit.

The image of the dragon contains many animal elements, and many people only discuss its origin according to a certain feature, so there are many opinions about the prototype of the dragon. One of the most influential is that the prototype of the dragon is a snake. Wen Yiduo, a famous scholar, discussed the prototype of the dragon in the 1940s. According to his research, the original prototype of dragon totem is snake totem. After eliminating the clan of cattle totem and deer totem, add horns or antlers to the snake head, then add the head of a pig or horse, add the legs of a tiger or crocodile, the claws of an eagle, the scales of a fish and the tail of a flower. After a long period of development, a collection of many totems has been formed. After Wen Yiduo, many scholars also think that the prototype of the dragon is a snake. [20]

There is also a view that the prototype of the dragon is a crocodile. Juxian Wei, an expert in ancient history in China, first proposed that the prototype of the dragon was a crocodile. In his book published in 1934, he said that "dragons are crocodiles", and some foreign scholars also think that dragons are crocodiles.

In addition, some people think that the basic form of dragon trunk is snake, lizard and horse, while others think that dragon evolved from lightning or rainbow.

Dragon's humanistic spirit

A nation's culture is the carrier of national spirit, and the humanistic spirit of ancient China people can also be seen from the colorful dragon culture.

Innovative spirit. The long-standing dragon culture is inseparable from the innovative spirit of the ancient people in China. Dragon culture has gone through several stages of development, and each stage of development is mainly completed through internal innovation. Observing the different dragon art forms in different historical periods, from having no horns to having horns, from having no wings to having wings, and from having no feet to having feet, we can see that the image of the dragon is formed through continuous innovation. [2 1]

Comprehensive spirit. The image of dragon was formed by ancient China people who combined the advantages and disadvantages of animals, birds, aquatic animals and reptiles. The comprehensiveness of dragon culture is also manifested in the long-term development process, and the dragon constantly absorbs foreign excellent artistic elements, thus making its image more perfect. For example, in the Tang and Song Dynasties, the dragon absorbed the image of a lion in Indian Buddhism, with a round head, a collar at the back of the head and a nose similar to a lion, which increased the dragon's sense of authority.

Inclusive spirit. The ancient dragon culture is rich and colorful, which is inseparable from the tolerant spirit of ancient China people. Dragon culture was impacted by the Indian Dragon King belief in its own development, but China people did not reject it, but tolerated and transformed it, forming the China Dragon King and enriching the connotation of dragon culture.

Enterprising spirit. Judging from the dragon image described by ancient people in China, the dragon has a strong enterprising spirit. The dragon's activity space is very broad, which can last for nine days and dive into the abyss. The dragon images in various arts are mostly flying dragons, soaring dragons or running dragons, full of vigor, striving for progress and perseverance. Dragons in myths and legends are mostly indomitable, unstoppable and fearless. These are all manifestations of Gu Long's pioneering spirit.

Independent spirit. The artistic image of the dragon is unique, and so are various cultural phenomena related to the dragon. In the traditional culture of China, although the dragon culture is closely related to Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, it has always maintained relative independence and is not affiliated with any religion. [2 1]

Dragon culture is a typical representative of China traditional culture. There are indeed dross and essence in it. Religious and political dragon worship in history, such as praying for rain, begging for children, seeking peace and "real dragon emperor" during the Dragon Boat Festival, should be abandoned. However, the artistic and folk dragon culture has great vitality, such as dragon dancing and dragon boat racing, which should be protected as intangible cultural heritage.

In contemporary times, we should also give play to the cohesion of dragon culture. The formation and development of dragon culture is almost synchronous with the formation and integration of the Chinese nation. Historically, no matter how dynasties change, the inheritance of dragon culture has always been the same. China people at home and abroad regard the dragon as a symbol of the Chinese nation. Therefore, in the process of publicizing and carrying forward the dragon culture, we should give full play to its cohesion and centripetal force.