Welcome the Year of the Dragon

For the Chinese people, 2024 is the Year of the Dragon. The dragon is considered China’s most significant mythical creature. It’s an imagined animal with features like a bull’s head, deer antlers, shrimp eyes, eagle claws, snake body, lion tail, and covered in scales. In people’s imagination, dragons are filled with boundless divine power.

Although I was not born in a ‘Dragon year’, I must say dragons have been with me all the time.

The city of Taiyuan, where I was born and grew up, is called the ‘City of the Dragon’ because it used to be the capital of nine dynasties. My uncle’s name has a dragon in it. My grandmother’s walking stick has a ‘dragon head’. The brand of the cooking oil that we use is Gold Dragon Fish; the sword hanging on the wall of my house is in a sheath carved with dragons. The protagonist of my favourite book, China’s first novel - The Romance of the Three Kingdoms - is nicknamed ‘Crouching Dragon’. I also see dragons on the furniture in my house and in my parents’ house.

On February 2, men have a haircut indicating “dragon raises its head”. On May the fifth, which is the Duanwu Festival, dragon boat races are organised and watched in almost all Chinese regions where there is a lake or river.

SYMBOL OF POWER

For thousands of years, feudal emperors considered it a symbol of power and dignity. Ordinary folks saw it as an embodiment of virtue and strength, a harbinger of good luck.

That’s why you can find the dragon’s image everywhere in China.

Indeed, dragons are carved or painted on palace rooftops, royal artefacts, and even in everyday life. During festive occasions, common folks also showcase the dragon’s image.

Throughout history, the dragon has been seen as a symbol of the Chinese nation. Chinese people worldwide consider themselves descendants of the dragon.

The dragon is the only animal that is not real in the Chinese zodiac signs. In Chinese culture, dragons symbolise power, strength, and good luck. They are associated with imperial authority and are considered benevolent creatures that bring prosperity. The dragon is also a symbol of yang energy, representing male vigour and fertility. Emperors in ancient China claimed to be descendants of dragons, reinforcing the creature’s significance in imperial iconography. The dragon’s positive attributes make it a popular symbol in various aspects of Chinese art, folklore, and celebrations.

MOVIE TITLES

Many Chinese idioms and illusions, book and movie titles have “Dragon” in them. For example, the movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2001. The three top Chinese Kung-fu movie stars are associated with the Dragon. Both Bruce Li and Jackie Chan have ‘Dragon’ in their Chinese names, and Jet Li played a major role in his 2001 movie Kiss of the Dragon.

It is interesting that, since the dragon is considered an auspicious and powerful symbol, many Chinese parents prefer to have their children born in a Dragon year, which occurs every 12 years in the Chinese zodiac cycle. The belief is that children born in the Year of the Dragon are destined to be strong, healthy, and successful in life. This preference for Dragon years often leads to a noticeable increase in birth rates during those years, as parents aim to provide their children with an auspicious start in life. They “hope their son becomes a dragon”. Therefore, it is quite possible that more new babies are expected in 2024.

Contributed by Feng Lei, the Chinese director of the Confucius Institute at Mona, the UWI.