How did dragons form?

Dragon is a symbol of the great unity of the Chinese nation, and its spirit is one of the potential excellent qualities in the soul of China people. How the dragon came into being and developed, and how it influenced people's lives in China, became a symbol of the cohesion of the Chinese nation, which deserves our in-depth discussion.

The history of dragons is very old. As early as six or seven thousand years ago, there was a dragon and tiger image of one or two meters long depicted by mussels in Xishuipo, Puyang, Henan Province. 1993, a "pebble-shaped plastic dragon" about 6000 years ago was discovered in Baihu Township, Huangmei, Hubei Province. It is 4.46 meters long and 2.26 meters high. The fish's tail, animal's paw, snake's body and deer's head are all very high, and the dragon's head is also very high, with its long horns tilted backwards and its mouth bent, which is very vivid. (Hubei Daily1July 20, 993) Our ancient ancestors are often said to be dragons in myths and legends. We in China are all descendants of dragons. Dragon is closely related to all ethnic groups in China. The image of dragon permeates the life customs of China people all over the world.

In the most lively Spring Festival and Lantern Festival, people everywhere want dragon lanterns; On the Dragon Boat Festival, many places row dragon boats. There are many kinds of dragon dances, including 100 in China. Dragon lanterns in the north are mostly 5 knots to 12 knots, which is relatively regular. In the south, there are countless styles and dances of dragon lanterns. There are dozens of dragon dances in Zhejiang Province alone, such as Baiyelong (Changxing County), Jiulong Bamboo Strong Bamboo (Wuyi County), Zhu Long, Xianglong (Longquan County), Ban Long (Yuhang County), Sanjielong (Quxian County) and Gunlong (Huangyan County). There are dozens of dragon dances in Jiangxi Province, such as: Fire Dragon (Leping County), Niu Long (Dayu County), Yulongdeng (Le 'an County), Yi Long Jiujiao (pengze county) and so on. There are more dragons in Hunan, including Baijielong (Hengyang), Xingzilong (Liling), Caolong (Zixing County), Fenglong, Chicken-feather Dragon (Leiyang County), Wuse Dragon (Shaoyang County), Goupo Dragon (Guiyang County), Frog Dragon (Changde City), Snake Dragon (Zhijiang County) and so on. These dragon lanterns not only have different shapes, but also dance in various ways. Even in Chinatown where overseas Chinese live, dragon dancing is quite wonderful.

The custom of rowing dragon boats on the Dragon Boat Festival is very common in the south. As for the origin of dragon boat race, folklore is to save Qu Yuan, a patriotic poet who was thrown into the river, and ancient books are also recorded to commemorate Wu Zixu who was thrown into the river or Cao E, a filial daughter of the Han Dynasty. But it can be traced back to the earliest origin of dragon boat racing, which is related to the totem celebration of Yuangulong.

There is also a special Dragon Boat Festival in China: "On February 2nd, the dragon heads up"-Spring Dragon Festival. Legend has it that one year there was a drought, and the Jade Dragon in Tianhe secretly rained. The Jade Emperor put it under a mountain, saying that it would not go to heaven until the golden beans bloomed. So people fried grain and opened flowers, which made Yulong sigh. In some places in Shaanxi, on this day, every household fried rice flowers and sang: "On February 2, the dragon looked up, the big warehouse was full, and the small warehouse flowed." I hope the weather will be good and the harvest will be good all year round. On this day, many places will fry soybeans and eat Longxu Noodles and Longlin cakes. There are many festivals of brothers and ethnic dragons, almost every month, and some months are more than one. For example:

The first day of the first month is the "Dragon Festival" of the Hani nationality and the "Dragon Festival" of the Jinuo nationality in Yunnan.

The fifth day of the first month is the "Dragon Head Festival" of Yao people in Hekou, Yunnan.

February is the "Dragon Pool Festival" of Pumi nationality in Yunnan, and a tall Long Ta is built in Longtan near Longtan.

March is the "dragon-watching field" of Miao people in western Hunan, and the lower bound of welcoming dragons. On this day, in Grain Rain, Shandong fishermen sacrificed to the Sea Dragon King on the beach and killed pigs at the Dragon King Temple.

March 15 is the Dragon King Festival of Deang nationality in Yunnan and the Dragon King Temple Meeting of Naxi nationality. On March 18, Zhejiang farmers celebrated "Bailong Birthday" and offered sacrifices at Longmu Temple.

April 15 is the Dragon King Festival for Tibetans in Zhongdian, Yunnan.

May 20th is the Dragon Boat Festival, which is an ancient festival in wuyue. Now, Miao people in Qingshui, Guizhou Province have a "Dragon Boat Festival" in late May, and dozens of Miao villages hold dragon boat races every day.

June 6th is the "Dragon robe Sun Day" for Tujia people in Xiangxi.

July 20th is the Dragon Mother Festival of Yao nationality in Yunnan.

August 20th is the "Dragon Boat Festival" to send dragons to heaven.

September 10 is the Miao people's "dragon catching" festival in western Hunan. In Anlong and Dragon Boat Festival, everyone eats "Dragon Cake" and the village sings "Long Ge".

The Dulong people in Gongshan, Yunnan divide the year into 12 festivals, all of which are named after various dragons, so there are dragons every month.

Dragon is an important spiritual sustenance in the lives of people of all ethnic groups and is regarded as the patron saint of prosperity, tranquility and happiness. People's food, clothing, housing and transportation, weddings, funerals and festivals are all inseparable from dragons. In the past, only emperors could wear dragon robes, but the Miao people in the deep mountains still wore "dragon clothes" regardless of this set. There are hundreds of kinds of dragons on the dragon clothes of Miao nationality in Guizhou, and there are combined images of various animals. For example, the dragon's head has a bull's head, a human head, a cat's head, a pig's head, an animal's head and a centipede's head; The body has snake body, shrimp body, fish body, bird body, leaf body and centipede body; The tail is mostly fish tail and flower tail. Many dragons have horns and no claws. The images of these dragons are unique to Miao people. Many buildings have faucets at both ends of the roof. Huabiao and Dragon Column are also important decorations of noble and gorgeous buildings. There is a steep Longmen in the western hills of Kunming. There is a Longmen dug by Dayu by the Yellow River. It is said that carp jumped over the dragon gate and became a dragon. The dragon has become a noble, sacred, robust and powerful symbol.

Precious plants include cypress, dragon bamboo and Sophora japonica. Dragon blood tree And Hedyotis diffusa. The Temple of Heaven has been nine hundred years old, and Jietai Temple has been nine pines for more than a thousand years. In front of Renshou Temple in the Summer Palace, dragons, phoenixes, pines and cypresses have a unique taste. In addition, there are all kinds of Longjiang, Longhe, Longshan, Longquan, Longtan and Longdong ... There are many legends and stories about dragons everywhere, more than 10 million.

Why do people in China especially worship dragons?

China has been an agricultural country for thousands of years. Good weather has a lot to do with agricultural production, and the god in charge of rain is the dragon, and the dragon king has become one of the most important gods in China. Of course, there are deeper psychological reasons for the formation of this long tradition, which has a lot to do with the ancient history of dragons.

The dragon king in the modern Longwang Temple has a human figure and dresses like an emperor. This image was imported from India in the Middle Ages. China native dragon god is not a human being, but a magical animal. The image of this animal is the product of myth and fantasy, which combines the characteristics of many animals and has a history of thousands of years.

How did the image of the dragon come into being? Generally, scholars believe that the dragon is the totem of the ancient people in China. "Totem" is an Indian language, which means "relative". Primitive people can't distinguish between people and animals, thinking that an animal (or plant) is the ancestor of their own clan. This animal is related to their own family and can protect themselves, so they worship it.

Huaxia clan is the most powerful clan in the Central Plains, with dragons as its totem. At first, the dragon may be an animal, but later, with the merger and integration of clans, other totem factors were added, and it gradually developed into a fantasy collection totem and symbol. This primitive animal is generally considered to be a snake, some people think it is a crocodile or a buffalo, and some people think it is a wild horse. There are certain reasons. Just as the whole Chinese nation is "pluralistic", so is the image of the dragon.

According to Mr Wen Yiduo's textual research, the dragon may be a big snake. In addition to other clan totems, on the basis of snakes, four legs of crocodiles and animals are added, including the head, mane and tail of horses, ears of cows, nose of tigers, eyes of rabbits, scales and beards of fish, legs of dogs, claws of eagles, horns of deer and so on. These statements are based on some records in ancient books and are proved by unearthed cultural relics and some traditional folk customs.

Xuanyuan Huangdi is the ancestor of Chinese civilization. Sima Qian's Historical Records said: "Xuanyuan, Huanglong style" (Tian Keshu) and "Shan Hai Jing" said: "The country of Xuanyuan ... has a snake face, and the tail meets the head." He also said: Xuanyuan Qiu has "Four Snakes Entanglement" (Overseas Western Classics), and his brother Yan Di Shennong is also a dragon born of "feeling dragons".

Yu Xia is a descendant of Fuxi. Liezi said, "Hui people, Nuwa, Shennong, Xia Houshi, Snake-faced people, bull's head and tiger's nose: this is inhuman, but it is the virtue of the Great Sage." It is also said that both Gun and Yu became Huanglong after their death.

In folk myths and legends and totem celebrations, dragons are gradually deified. "Clouds follow dragons", dragonflies are related to sex, rain and lightning. When people see a tornado, they think it is a "dragon sucking water" on the sea and a "yellow dragon" on the grassland. Snakes often come out before it rains. "Swallows flying low on the snake path, water tanks wearing skirts and hats" are all signs of rain. When the weather is dry, people will worship the earth dragon and pray for rain. After Buddhism was introduced to China, many dragon kings were introduced in Buddhist scriptures, saying, "Make efforts to make clouds and rain". (Hua Yanjing) Later, there were "Four Seas Dragon King", "Dongting Dragon King" and "Jinghe Dragon" in the novels. The Monkey King's golden cudgel was borrowed from the Dragon King of the East China Sea. The Dragon King became a human being, lived in the Dragon Palace and became an emperor.

Emperors of past dynasties described themselves as "the real dragon emperor" and "the son and grandson of the dragon", making the dragon a symbol of feudal emperors. The images of dragons are everywhere in the Forbidden City, and there are more than 10,000 dragons in the dragon carving paintings in the Hall of Supreme Harmony alone. But in people's minds, dragons and dragon kings are mainly dragons who make clouds and rain. During the Chinese New Year, dragon lanterns are used to row dragon boats, and during the drought, we go to the Longwang Temple to worship the dragon king, all for the good weather and good agricultural harvest. It is precisely because the dragon god has a great relationship with people's happiness that people always worship him. This combination of worship and ancestor worship has made the image of the dragon active in people's lives for thousands of years.

Judging from the history of the emergence and development of the dragon, the dragon is the product of the integration of various national cultures and a symbol of the great unity of the Chinese nation. Dragon spirit vividly embodies the basic spirit of China culture-harmony. In recent years, the image of the dragon has been worshipped by people, which is the inheritance of the national spirit. The image and spirit of the dragon have been widely recognized by children of all ethnic groups in China. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, it flourished, such as the rising sun, and was known as the "Oriental Dragon". The dragon has become the symbol of new China.