In recent years, legends about dragons have once again attracted public attention. It is said that on the mountain behind Shimen Village in Linwu County, Hunan Province, a mysterious cave was found with a real dragon up to 13 meters long. The news sparked the interest of experts and scholars, and also made people more enthusiastic about exploring the authenticity and origin of this mysterious creature of dragons. However, before we trace the dragon's **, let's first look at how the image of the dragon has evolved over the course of history.
The appearance of the dragon as an animal in Chinese cultural texts can be traced back to the oracle bone inscriptions of the Yin Shang period. In oracle bone inscriptions, the character "dragon" takes on a distinct pictographic character, with the shape of scales. In China's earliest dictionary "Shuowen Jie Zi", the explanation of "dragon" is a scaly insect that can become bigger and smaller, thicker and thinner, rising into the sky after the spring equinox and diving into the abyss after the autumn equinox. These ancient texts suggest that the dragon was endowed with a mystical, transcendent power in the early imagery of human cognition.
With the development of history, the image of the dragon gradually evolved, creating the mighty and ethereal image that we are familiar with today. It is said that in order to strengthen the ties between the tribes, the Yellow Emperor once convened the various tribes in Busan, and he fused the original totemic patterns of each tribe to create a dragon image with a snake-like body, a deer-like beautiful horns, rabbit-like eyes, a camel-like towering head, and a mirage-wide belly. The Chinese nation's self-proclaimed descendants of the dragon also originate from the common dragon totem. Over time, the image of the dragon gradually plumped up, transforming from a reptile to a flying animal. By the time of the Song Dynasty, the image of the dragon was already very similar to the image of the dragon today.
No matter how the image of the dragon changes, it always has a high place in people's hearts. Since the Qin and Han dynasties, successive rulers regarded the dragon as a symbol of the emperor, and the dragon became the symbol of the emperor and a symbol of power. In order to worship the dragon, people will kowtow and burn incense, dragon dances and dragon boat rowing. Although people believe that dragons may be fictional, they still have good ideals and auspicious things for dragons.
So are dragons fictional or real?Experts have different opinions about the existence of dragons. Some experts believe that there is no conclusive evidence of the dragon's existence, and that the so-called dragon cave is likely to be just a stone dragon formed by geological changes or a man-made stone statue. However, there are also those who firmly believe that dragons are real and have been working to find their tracks. Although we haven't seen real dragons yet, this does not stop people from liking dragons as a mysterious creature, and even less from young couples' desire to give birth to baby dragons.
So why is it that in an era of low marriage rates and even lower newborn birth rates, people are so enthusiastic about dragons and willing to give birth to baby dragons?
On the one hand, dragons are endowed with mysterious, mighty, and auspicious symbolism in Chinese culture. It is often believed that dragon people have excellent career and financial luck and are more likely to be rich in life. Not only that, but dragons also have the saying that "dragons are passed on to descendants", that is, people who belong to dragons will bring good luck to their parents. Therefore, young couples who wish to give birth to a baby dragon are hoping to bring good luck and happiness to themselves and their families.
On the other hand, dragons are also closely related to reproduction in traditional Chinese concepts. Traditional Chinese culture attaches great importance to the continuation of the family and the reproduction of offspring, and believes that childbearing is a responsibility and obligation. In this context, having a healthy, intelligent offspring is seen as one of life's most important achievements. In the Chinese zodiac, the dragon is considered the noblest animal, and giving birth to a baby dragon is seen as a special happiness and glory.
In addition, the mysterious creature of the dragon also has an extraordinary charm. The image of the dragon has both a mighty side and an elegant side, giving people a strong visual impact. At the same time, the dragon is also the protagonist of many beautiful legends in ancient China, such as "The Legend of the White Snake" and "Journey to the West". These myths add a romantic touch to the dragon and make people yearn for and love the mysterious creature of the dragon even more.
In conclusion, people's enthusiasm for dragons and their preference for having baby dragons are influenced in part by the mystical and auspicious symbolism of dragons in Chinese culture. Dragons not only represent happiness, wealth and good fortune, but also carry people's responsibilities and expectations for the continuation of the family and the reproduction of future generations. In addition, the image and beautiful legend of the mysterious creature of the dragon also make people yearn for and love the dragon.