When did dragons come into existence?

The earliest known form of dragon is a pair of mussel-shell dragons and tigers found in a tomb in the Yangshao culture area of Xishuipo, Puyang, Henan Province. At this time the image of the dragon is very simple, hornless, long body, curved tail, scales. During the Shang Dynasty, very sophisticated typical dragon motifs had already appeared on bronze, jade and other artifacts.

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

The dragon in the traditional Chinese zodiac in the fifth, in the "Li Ji - Li Yun Ninth" with the phoenix, tortoise, Lin together and known as the "four spirits". In Western mythology, the dragon is also translated as dragon, but the two are not the same.

The most basic characteristic of the image of the dragon is "nine similar", which is 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 for rain, and these are already images of dragons developed in the later stages, which are more complex than the original dragons.

The creatures of ancient Chinese folklore that can be found in the Chinese classics cannot be found physically in reality, but the constituents of their images originate from reality and serve to dispel evil spirits, ward off calamities, and pray for good fortune.