Q:
Why are dragons so prominent in Chinese culture?
A:
Chinese dragon is totally different from the Western dragon and has entirely different cultural meanings. It symbolizes the inclusive civilization uniting all tribes together. Chinese Dragon is a totem of all totems. Chinese Dragon has the horns of moose, the head of a camel, the eyes of a rabbit, the belly of a sea serpent, the scales of fish, the craws of an eagle, the palms of a tiger, the ears of a cow, the bread of goat, the body of a snake.
In the Battle of Banquan 4500 years ago, The Head of Yellow defeated The Head of Yan (I use the Head instead of the emperor. Emperor is a very bad translation. Western emperors in history always imply the emperor nation suppresses other nations, but that has not been a Chinese phenomenon, as we will see below.). The Head of Yellow united the all tribes of China. Chinese consent that Yellow and Yan are Chinese ancestors. Yellow was then become the President of the United Tribes of China, and the dragon becomes the totem of the United Tribes of China. The Head of every dynasty of China ever after used the symbol of a dragon to represent the authority of the Head.
Before the Battle of Banquan, Yellow was a nomadic tribe just like Abraham of Jews in the middle east; while Yan was an agricultural tribe. After the Battle of Banquan, the United Tribes of China become an agricultural civilization. The agricultural civilization relied heavily on water irrigation, and rains to nurture cops. Chinese Dragon has then long been the symbol of the water cycle from seas to heaven to rains to rivers. It has been the Chinese myth that Dragon is living underneath the sea, flying to the sky to create clouds and rain, and as a flood rushes through the river into the sea. There have been many ceremonies to pray to the Dragon for moderate rains that prevent droughts but do not amount to floods. Chinese civilization is the most developed agricultural civilization and Dragon is a heavily loaded symbol in the Chinese culture.
