There is an old Chinese proverb that says, "The dragon raises its
head on the second day of the second [lunar] month." It means the
Heavenly Dragon King, who is in charge of clouds and rain, will
awake from his winter sleep and begin sending rain to earth. In
some parts of China, this day -- which fell on February 21 this
year -- is known as the Spring Dragon Festival.
For millennia, the dragon has been a vital part of Chinese
culture, and the people themselves have long been known as the
"descendants of the dragon." The origins of dragon culture remained
unclear, however, until recently. Archaeologists have now concluded
that the dragon culture originated in the Liaohe River Valley of
northeast China.
Although bronzeware decorated with dragon images dating back to
the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600- 1100 BC) have been unearthed, they are
no longer the oldest dragon icons in China. The artifact now being
credited with "senior dragon" status was discovered in the Liaohe
River Valley.
In late 2003, Chinese archaeologists found a jade dragon in the
Hongshan ruins at Niuheliang, Liaoning
Province. It was the fourth to be found at the site, but it
proved to be the oldest.
The dragon-shaped jade carving is 26 cm high, with closed mouth
and long muzzle. The dragon's two prominent nostrils are uptilted.
Its neck sports a long mane and its tail curls up. The shape is
very similar to the ancient pictographic character "long"
("dragon") found on oracle bones. Professor Su Bingqi, an
archaeologist from Peking University, says it is the oldest jade
dragon ever found.
The Hongshan tribes lived in the Liaohe River Valley some 5,000
to 6,000 years ago. Since the jade dragons were unearthed here,
others have been found at the Zhaobaogou and Zhahai archeological
sites. Although the carved dragons found at these places are not as
old as the Hongshan jades, the ruins themselves are 6,000 and 8,000
years old, respectively. Archaeologists feel confident that the
dragon culture of the Liaohe River Valley dates back at least 5,000
years.
Guo Dashun, a renowned archaeologist specializing in the Liaohe
River Valley, says, "In addition to being very old, the
dragon-related articles found in this area also feature diverse
forms and clear continuity in development."
The early dragons excavated in the Liaohe River Valley can be
divided into eight groups based on age and style. From oldest to
newest, they are: placement of stones or other objects to create
images; relief, woodcarving, engraving, colored pottery, clay
sculpture, jade sculpture and color painting.
The jade dragon excavated in the Liaohe River Valley shows that
the concept of the dragon is actually a combination of various
animals: pig, deer, bear and bird have been identified. The image
of the dragon as we know it today is the result of thousands of
years of artistic interpretation.
The Liaohe River flows through northeastern Liaoning and Jilin
provinces, eastern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and northern
Hebei Province. The valley covers a total area of 345,000 sq
km.
The dragon stands as a symbol of auspiciousness and wisdom. In
mythology, it was a messenger between humans and gods and a bearer
of blessings from heaven to earth. The dragon was endowed with
magical abilities to control the wind and rain, to fly through the
air and live beneath the sea. Eventually, it became a symbol of the
country's seat of power: the imperial throne.
(China.org.cn translated by Li Jinhui, February 27, 2004)