Dragon and Phoenix in Chinese Culture
The names in the Chinese language for many things connected with the empress or the emperor were preceded by the epithet “phoenix” or “dragon”; thus, “dragon robe” for the emperor’s ceremonial dress, “dragon bed” for him to sleep, “dragon seat” for the throne, and “phoenix canopies”, “phoenix carriage” and so on for the imperial processions. Because of this, the combination of dragon and phoenix (sometimes with the tiger) is associated to that of a Yin and Yang symbol which symbolizing the union of opposites. The phoenix and the dragon are the principal motifs for decorative designs on the clothing, buildings and articles of daily use in the imperial palace.
Phoenix and dragon, along with the qilin unicorn and tortoise is regarded as the “Four Supernatural Spirits”. Therefore it is believed when someone see phoenix and dragon then he or she will be extremely lucky. Many married couple also keep an image of the dragon and phoenix in their home. The presence of the phoenix and dragon traditionally symbolizes a fruitful marriage blessed with prosperity and success, as well as many male offspring.
Phoenix Bird Mythology
The phoenix is a mythical bird which represents beauty, good luck and southern direction in China. The bird is also considered as a symbol of the Empress and it is the highest-ranked bird in China. Being called as the “King of Birds” the phoenix embodied the five virtues of righteousness, benevolence, wisdom, propriety and sincerity. According to legend, phoenix bird perched only in the finest firmiana tree, drinking and eating nothing but bamboo seeds and sweet spring water. The bird is also said to have the head of the golden pheasant, the body of the mandarin duck, the beak of the parrot, the feathers of the peacock, the wings of the roc and the legs of the crane. You can see the early design of this bird on the silk painting discovered near Changsa in Hunan province in a tomb of the Warring States period (475 – 221 BC).
Dragon Legends and Myths
The dragon is a legendary reptilian monster. It was the national emblem of the Chinese Empire. To the Chinese people, the dragon is considered as a symbol of power, good fortune and the eastern direction. This huge snake-like monster represents the Emperor. The China’s national flag under the Qing dynasty was emblazoned with a big dragon. Some of the recently unearthed bronze vessels (existed more than 3,000 years ago) of the Yin dynasty are decorated with sketchs of dragons of a crude form. The Chinese earliest legends desribed the dragon as a miraculous beast with snake-body, long beards and fish scales.
Phoenix Physical Appearance
Chinese phoenix resembles a peacock but the stories tell that it is in fact a much more sizable animal than its modern-day cousin. Some sources claimed that this mythic bird has its roots in a prehistorical, possibly ostrich-like huge bird that lived long time ago in China. In stories, the Feng huang is either described as being white, black, green, yellow or red. It is written that the bird drinks from sacred springs, nests in Chinese plane trees and feeds on bamboo seeds. It is also sometimes depicted as having 3 legs.
According to scripture Erya (chapter 17 Shiniao), phoenix is made up of the beak of a rooster, the forehead of a fowl, the face of a swallow, the neck of a snake, the back of a tortoise, the breast of a goose, the tail of a fish and the hindquarters of a stag. However, today the Fenghuang is often described as a composite of many birds.
Phoenix Bird Symbolism
The phoenix is regarded as the epitome of all birds or simply as the king of birds because it embodies the characteristics of many other feathered species. For generations, the Chinese have named food, girls and musical instruments with the Chinese character “Feng” (means phoenix) in expectation that they are as splendid as the phoenix.
The body of phoenix is said to symbolize 6 celestial bodies. The eyes are the sun, the head is the sky, the back is the moon, the feet are the earth, the wings are the wind and the tail is the planets.
In Chinese art and paintings the phoenix is often paired with the dragon and that symbol is used as a wish for a harmonious marriage for new couple. Phoenix in China represents female virtues such as beauty and charm. And because of this, the wedding dresses worn by the brides in China are often decorated with a picture of the phoenix. Once the dragon became a totem of the emperor, then the phoenix was also accorded a similar significance to empresses.
When giving birth, especially twin, is always considered a blessing. If you have the great fortune of getting a girl and a boy baby at the same time, it means that your entire family has been blessed. The set of boy-girl twin is referred to as dragon-phoenix twin or “long feng bao” in China.
Actually ‘feng huang’ (the original name of the bird) incorporates the notions of feng, a male bird and huang, a female bird, therefore according to that logic, the phoenix is actually a symbol of the combination between masculinity and feminity, or Yin-Yang. The phoenix bird is used to represent the south in Chinese geomagnetism. It represents the Fire element and is associated with the season of summer and drought.
One of the four symbols of Chinese myth, the Vermilion Bird of the South, is often confused with the Fenghuang, though they are distinct entities.
Fenghuang is also the name of a county in western Hunan province of China. Its name is written with the same Chinese characters as this mythological phoenix bird.
Facts About The Chinese Dragons
There are different types of dragons in each different culture. Chinese dragons that are mostly shown are snake-like, big and wingless but still able to fly. The Western dragons that we mostly see have wings. To many countries of the West, the dragon is considered evil whereas in the East dragon symbolizes strength, power and good luck.
Nine Types of Chinese Dragons
According to the Chinese literature and myths, there are mainly nine types of Chinese dragons.
- The horned dragon, which is said to be the most powerful generalized type of Chinese dragon.
- The winged dragon, associated with rains and floods, this dragon is believed to be used by the Yellow Emperor Huangdi to kill Chi You.
- The celestial dragon (also called T’ien lung) is the guardian of gods and a protector of heaven.
- The spiritual dragon (the Shen-lung) brings rain and controls the weather.
- The dragon of the rivers and the seas was called “Ti-lung”.
- “Fucanglong” or the treasure dragon, underworld guardian of precious jewels and metals, associated with volcanoes.
- The coiling dragon, a lake dragon that has not ascended to heaven.
- The yellow dragon, a hornless dragon symbolizing the emperor.
- The last of the nine is the dragon kings, it consists of 4 separate dragons, each of the four dragon kings rules over one of the four seas, tthose of the east, west, north and south.
Many Chinese villages in premodern times had temples dedicated to their local “dragon king” (especially those close to rivers and seas). In times of drought or flooding, it was customary for the government officials and local gentry to lead the community in offering sacrifices as well as conducting other religious rites in order to appease the dregon, either to ask for rain or a cessation thereof.
Five Clawed Dragon
In the Zhou Dynasty, Five-clawed dragon was assigned to the Emperor of China, four-clawed dragon to the seigneur (Zhuhou) and three-clawed dragon to the Daifu. Three-clawed and four-clawed dragons were assigned to the commoners in the Qin Dynasty. At those days, no one (except the Emperor) was allowed to possess a five-clawed dragon image on pain of death.
In some circles, depicting a dragon facing downwards is considered bad luck as if the dragon cannot ascend to the sky. When placing your feng shui dragon, you should not place it in lower-energy areas such as the garage, closets, or the bathroom, and do not have too many dragons in the home. The maximum recommended number of dragons in your home is 5. Some also believe that you have to be strong and fierce enough in order to have a dragon tattoo on the skin otherwise your luck may be consumed by the dragon.
When looking at the dragon picture or statue, people often see a pearl under the dragon’s chin, the pearl is also known as the flaming pearl, and this is quite a popular design. It is said that the pearl stand for truth, wisdom or life, and if the dragon loses this pearl, he is left helpless and incapable of action.
Nine Sons of the Dragon
There are also nine diferent young of the dragon whose shapes are used as ornaments acording to their nature. The information about the nine sons of the dragon differ according to different records, each record gives each of them a different habit and different character.
Pulao, the dragon who have the habit to call loudly when attacked, he is usually carved on tops of the gongs and bells. He lives near the sea and he fears to meet the big whale.
Qiuniu, the dragon who likes music, he is carved on the screws of fiddles. He likes to crouch and listen to music on the head of stringed instruments.
The chiwen, the dragons who like swallowing, they are placed on both ends of the ridgepoles of roofs (tto swallow all evil influences). Since he is also in charge of the rainfall, therefore the design must has the purpose of safeguarding palaces from fire.
Yazi, a bad-tempered type, fractious and inclined to fight, this dragon often appears on ancient weapon. You can usually see it carved on sword or knife hilts and battle axe. It is believed that his figure can add power to the weapons.
Fuxi loves literature and his figures can be seen carved on sides of stone tablets with inscriptions.
Chaofeng is fearless and loves to take risks. This lion-like beast likes to watch from high places and therefore are placed on the every corner of roofs.
Suanmi likes fire and smoke, his figure is like lion. His likeness can be seen on tthe legs of incense-burners. You can also see him guarding beside the main door.
Baxia, his figure is like tortoise. He likes to carry heavy things because he has great strength and also loves words. He is used to carry stone tablets with inscriptions. Many famous steles in China are carried by Baxia.
Bian, his figure is like tiger. This wise dragon is used to tell who is bad or good, so his figure became decorations of court or prison.
