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Chinese Dragon Symbolism

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The Symbolism of the Chinese Dragon in Ancient and Modern Popular Chinese Culture Chinese Dragons have been symbolic of power and strength all throughout history and continues into present-day. The Chinese Dragon plays a major role in current popular culture and media exploration. Not only can you find them in films such as Disney’s Mulan, but also in artwork, modern and traditional dances, and writings. Chinese Dragons are essential to the culture of modern, traditional, and ancient Chinese society. They are present in many aspects of life from film and festivals to mascots and astrology. The Chinese Dragon is a mythical and mystic creature that is found all throughout Chinese legends and folklore. The most common form that Chinese …show more content…

An idiom is an expression that is not predictable from the usual meanings of the world. Idioms are often particular to certain languages or peoples. The Chinese have some very distinct idioms and many of them revolve around dragons. The most famous idiom that is recognizable today is “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” (卧虎藏龙) which means talented individuals in hiding. Director Ang Lee made a movie by the same name in 2000 which is a popular film known all over the world and has launched a specific aspect of the Chinese language into the living rooms of millions of people. Dragon idioms are used in everyday life, like sayings in English. Some common dragon idioms …show more content…

The Chinese Dragon is an important working part in Chinese astrology. The Chinese Dragon supposedly symbolizes a person of great character, a natural born leader, and indicates a long-life expectancy. The Chinese zodiac works on a twelve-year cycle. The year of the Dragon comes every twelve years, the next being 2024. Another modern use for the Chinese dragon is in Dragon boat races. Dragon boats are human propelled water vessels that are traditionally decorated with the image of the dragon. Though the dragon boat races originated in Asia and the boats were first produced in China’s southern Guangdong Province, dragon boat races have expanded across the globe. They are popular in America today as well, they even have their own racing circuit. One other way that the Chinese Dragon has carried on with time is its inclusion in festivals and dances. The Chinese Dragon is a central part of festivities that take place for Chinese New Year. The Dragon Dance is preformed where a long dragon that is constructed of bamboo hoops and shiny fabric is held aloft by dancers and paraded through the streets. This has become symbolic of Chinese New Year traditions in the media

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I can infer that the people of Vietnam are very brave. In paragraph two of section one, “The Chinese Dragon”, the author states that “the Vietnamese were anything but peaceful subjects. This explains that the Vietnamese would not be enslaved by the Chinese without fighting for their freedom. Next, in paragraph three of section one, the author writes that “the Trung sisters led the first uprising, then drowned themselves rather than surrender” to the Chinese. This shows that the Vietnamese warriors would rather die for their independence than be taken prisoner by the Chinese.

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As civilizations arose in the Eastern hemisphere, each developed and succeeded due to the sophisticated techniques of imperial administration. Han China, beginning in 206 BCE, rounded out China's basic political and intellectual structure. About 100 years previous, Maurya/ Gupta India made several political contributions despite the diversity that occurred among the regions. The empire's’ different political structures and values along with similar methods of control helped shape the periods of these great civilizations. Before the Han dynasty came into power, the Uins ruled China with Shi Huangdi as the emperor.

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532 Words | 3 Pages

The Yuan dynasty also known as the Mongol dynasty, was considered a brief irrelevance in China’s long history. There are many arguments to say that the Yuan dynasty did in fact make its mark on China’s history. Whereas others argue that the Yuan dynasty was in fact, a irrelevance in China’s history that does not need to be as noted as other dynasties of greater importance. The Yuan dynasty came to pass after the Song dynasty was destroyed by the Mongols river battles and sieges against them. This was only the start of the Mongols reign and need of power.

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970 Words | 4 Pages

For example, “Fighting is not the answer Fadi jaan, his father said, ‘It never solves the problem’” (Senzai 63). At this part of the book Fadi was being bullied, and when he came home with a black eye his family was explaining how it was good that he didn’t fight back. Relating to this situation, Fadi said, “I stood tall. “Yeah, I’m Pukhtan.”

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China’s rulers utilized the mandate of heaven, a type of divine rule that, later, would be used to justify the rule of kings like Louis XIV of France and Charles the I of England. The mandate of heaven was an ideal that the gods they worshipped gave power to their rulers, and if they weren’t satisfied, they would show it in the form of unexplainable phenomenon, such as the grasshopper plagues and floods that ravaged their lands. Catastrophes like that lead the people of Han China into doubting the rulers, and some even predicted that the Han dynasty would be usurped soon. A number of rebellions cropped up around this time, like the Yellow Turban/Scarves Rebellion, which began to threaten the hold of the government and the rulers

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Buddhism is a religion founded in the 5th century, by Buddha the person who then helped spread it into places like India and much of China and continuing to spread into some parts of Asia. The vast amount of trading routes such as the silk road in Asia helped Buddha and his views spread. This new religion clashed with other great religions such as Christianity causing some’s responses to Buddhism to be alarming. However, these were only a small amount of responses, the greater response to Buddhism in China was very positive with many supporting the idea that Buddha brought which was peace and enlighten.

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The Chinese Dynasties are some of the most well-known empires in history. The topic of this report is on the book, ‘When China Ruled the Seas: The Treasure Fleet of The Dragon Throne’ by Louise Levathes. This book was written to narrate the history of China’s gigantic treasure fleet and the policies and events that changed the Ming Dynasty and eventually reached a global influence. Unfortunately, this book also gives a plethora of historical tidbits which the author could’ve explained all at the beginning at the book so she didn’t have to constantly look back at another event for reference and explain why she bought it up.

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So, the ancient Chinese thought they needed to make the dragon happy. They made dragon boats and used them for dragon boat racing. They also thought that the sound of drums and the beautiful shape of the boat would make the dragon happy. Then, there were six warring kingdoms in China.

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hroughout history many changes are made in the political systems. Empires rise and fall and other countries get conquered. Asia had some continuity in its political systems, but also many changes. From 600 B.C., to 1450 A.D. many dynasties, leaders, and political systems changed in Asia as well as trying to have some continuity.

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Major Holidays- The Lantern festival- celebration of the first full moon of the year, and birthday of taoist god Tianguan who is responsible for good fortune. Tomb Sweeping Day- Tang dynasty emperor Xuanzong noticed that there was too many extravagant ceremonies for past ancestors, so Xuanzong created one day for these celebrations. The Chinese New Year- main religious holiday in China, involves burning of paper statues of gods, allowing the spirits to fly up to heaven and report the family’s behavior.

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The Yuan dynasty was a vast portion of the extensive Mongol empire, mostly residing in China. It was created by Kublai Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan. It lasted from 1271 AD to 1368 AD. The Mongol empire became the Yuan Dynasty. The territory stretched across all of modern day China.

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Throughout the painting there is iconography and symbolism. To illustrate his authority, the Kangxi sits on a dragon throne, which raises him higher than his court. With Kangxi being the Emperor, his feet were not to touch the ground. The Dragon is thought to be the guardian and aide to the Emperor. In addition, the dragon is also repeated on his robe several times.

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519 Words | 3 Pages

This type of dragon has a large wing pan and a spiked tail and is described as having cat-like eyes and bronze horns. It also breathes fire. All of these features are replicated in this set by the Lego Group.

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1598 Words | 7 Pages

Chinese tradition is opposed to individual glorification and considers anyone who desires personal enhancement as a threat to collectivism (Pye, 1982). Chinese are more group-oriented, they value respect and friendship. China is more Egalitarian, meaning that they share power and share authority and spread the authority out evenly. They do not expect all power as some cultures do. Next is Performance orientation, which means when the community encourages and rewards good things done and completed.

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The sculptures are mainly about the gods and goddesses or other historical figures within Taoism, such as Laozi. The yin and yang symbol is considered to be the primary symbol which core idea is balancing polar opposites, which is in this case shown in Taoist

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