Chinese dragon

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The text provides information on the various ethnic myths about dragons told throughout China. Here are some key points: * The Houhanshu, a historical text compiled in the fifth century BC, reports a story about a woman named Shayi who gave birth to ten sons after being touched by a tree trunk floating in the water while fishing. * According to this story, the tree trunk turned into a dragon and asked to see his sons. The youngest son was licked on the back by the dragon and named Jiu Long, meaning "Sitting Back". * The Miao people of southwest China have a story that a divine dragon created the first humans by breathing on monkeys. * The Han people have many stories about Short-Tailed Old Li, a black dragon who was born to a poor family in Shandong. He became the god of the Black Dragon River and is still worshipped as a rain god. * In China, dragons are closely associated with rain and drought is thought to be caused by a dragon's laziness. * Prayers invoking dragons to bring rain are common in Chinese texts. * Rainmaking rituals invoking dragons are still very common in many Chinese villages, where each village has its own god said to bring rain and many of these gods are dragons. The text also provides information on the significance of dragons in traditional Chinese customs. During various holidays, including the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival, villagers will construct a large dragon from grass, cloth, bamboo strips, and paper, which they will parade through the city as part of a dragon dance. The original purpose of this ritual was to bring good weather and a strong harvest, but now it is done mostly for entertainment. Dragon boat races are also a common custom in China, where people race across a body of water in boats carved to look like dragons, while a large audience watches on the banks. This custom is traditionally said to have originated after the poet Qu Yuan committed suicide by drowning himself in the Miluo River and people raced out in boats hoping to save him. Finally, the text notes that the Chinese emperor was gradually identified with dragons starting during the Han dynasty and continuing until the Qing dynasty. The emperor claimed to be the incarnation of a divine dragon, and any commoner who possessed everyday items bearing the image of the dragon were ordered to be executed. After the last Chinese emperor was overthrown in 1911, this situation changed and now many ordinary Chinese people identify themselves as descendants of dragons.