In traditional Chinese mythological images, where are dragons divine creatures that live?

In traditional Chinese mythological images dragons live in water, such as the Dragon King of the East Sea and the Dragon King of the West Sea.

The dragon is a divine creature in the ancient myths and legends of China and other East Asian regions, and is the eldest of the scaly insects. Commonly used to symbolize auspiciousness, is one of the most representative of the Han and other East Asian peoples of traditional culture, dragon legends and other dragon culture is very rich.

The most basic feature of the image of the dragon is "nine like", the specific nine animals is still controversial. Legend has it that it can be visible and hidden, fine and huge, short and long. The spring equinox ascends to the sky, the autumn equinox dives into the abyss, calls the wind and calls the rain, and these are already late development of the image of the dragon, compared with the original dragon is more complex.

The image of the dragon contains a variety of animal elements, and many people have discussed its origins based on only one characteristic, so a variety of claims about the archetype of the dragon have arisen. The most influential of these is the theory that the dragon's prototype was a snake.

Expanded information:

The essence of dragon culture:

Originally from the totem, beyond the totem China's proto-dragon had its earliest origins in primitive totem culture, but the essence and the mainstream cannot be reduced to the primitive totem culture. The mainstream can not be simply attributed to the primitive totem culture. From the perspective of the four aspects of "era background - specific content - cultural meaning - social function", the Chinese dragon is related to the primitive totem culture. Chinese dragons are significantly different from primitive totems.

China's dragon culture in modern China is not just an isolated remnant, but still maintains a strong vitality, abandon the negative elements of feudalism, mysticism, authoritarianism, Chinese dragon culture in the reunification of the country, national rejuvenation, although it can not play a dominant role in the history of the kind of dominant role in the mainstream of the culture role, but still have a strong inspiration, cohesion, centripetal force on the Chinese nation.

Baidu Encyclopedia - Dragon

Baidu Encyclopedia - Dragon Culture