What did the bear symbolize in ancient times?

Some scholars say that it is because bears represent men and symbolize courage and strength in China traditional culture; Some scholars also believe that the seasonal activities of bears, especially the habit of hibernation, give primitive people an impression of coming back from the dead, so bears are worshipped as the embodiment of the rebirth of natural forces.

Bear, as the totem of Huaxia nationality, can be said to be "rooted in Miaohong", because it is not only the surname of the tribe where Huangdi, the ancestor of the Chinese nation, is recognized, but also the legendary belief of the first Wang Chaoxia in China history. History says that "the Yellow Emperor has a bear's family" and "it was originally the son of a bear". Scholars have long suggested that the surnames of ancient tribes often come from totem names. If this is the case, the Yellow Emperor's surname is bear, which is inextricably linked with the bear totem. Now, there is a village called "Neng (nài) Zhuang" in xinzheng city, the hometown of the Yellow Emperor. It is said that its original name was "Xiong Zhuang", and it was changed because the villagers didn't like it. Could it be that the bear totem of the Huangdi clan has survived to this day? As for Xia, according to the historical book Xia Benji, Huang Di was originally a descendant of a bear, and there are many records in the literature that Gun and Yu turned into bears after their deaths. Rong, a Bamboo Slip of Warring States collected in Shanghai Museum, talks about the "First Flag" as the five flags of East, West, South, North and China after three years of listening to politics, in which the bear is the most important symbol of the "Zhongzheng Flag"; There are also gluttonous patterns on the bronze medals unearthed from Erlitou site. At present, they are considered as the remains of Xia culture, and some scholars think they are bears ... all of these imply the unique position of bears in Xia culture.