First, the real dragon period
From Yangshao culture, Daxi culture, Qujialing culture, Dawenkou culture, Longshan culture, Shang and Zhou dynasties to Qin and Han dynasties, Solanum nigrum represented by Shang and Zhou dynasties. The prototype of Solanum nigrum is a Gulf crocodile or monitor lizard, which has a bird (phoenix) foot and four claws. It has one foot, two or four claws. In the middle and late Shang Dynasty, dragons and winds met, resulting in six symbols of dragons and winds, indicating that they are the same ancestor. The Western Zhou Dynasty continued to be used, and the dragon was integrated into a new form. At this time, one foot is full, and most of them are crescent-shaped claws.
Second, the Ying Long period.
The concept of Ying Long can be traced back to the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, but Ying Long, as an artistic stage, probably began in Qin Dynasty, flourished in Han Dynasty and continued to Sui and Tang Dynasties.
Third, the Huanglong period
Beginning in the Tang and Song Dynasties, Liao, Jin and Yuan laid an image foundation and flourished in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. In Song Dynasty, Liao, Jin and Yuan Dynasties, it was mostly three-toed, and in Ming and Qing Dynasties, it was mostly four-toed and five-toed. Since the Yuan Dynasty, only the royal family can use the dragon with five claws, and the folk can only use the dragon with three claws or four claws.
Fourth, the payback period
Modern and contemporary after Qing dynasty. Because dragons are divorced from feudal rulers, they can be painted or shaped into three toes, four toes and five toes according to people's preferences. Of course, the five-claw dragon has a special position in history, so people generally prefer the five-claw shape.
During the Tang Dynasty, Japan had frequent contacts with China. At that time, dragons in China were all three-clawed dragons, so the Japanese could only introduce three-clawed dragons from China. After the four-claw dragon appeared in China, it had already closed its doors and cut off its ties with Japan. Korea was called Koryo in ancient times, and it was a dependency of China until the end of Qing Dynasty. When the rulers of China began to use the dragon pattern with five claws, the subordinate country could not be equal to itself, so the Korean dragon could only have four claws. In the final analysis, dragons in Japan and South Korea reflect the development and evolution of dragons.
[Guo Longqiu Jiao]
Octopus: It's an early kind of dragon, which is modeled on a reptile-snake and often moves in the water. "It takes five hundred years to become a jiaozi, and it takes a thousand years to become a dragon." It is the embryonic form of the dragon, which once appeared on the bronze decoration in the late Western Zhou Dynasty, but not much.
Qiu: Generally speaking, a little dragon without horns is called Qiu Long, which is a growing dragon. Therefore, ancient literature records: "Those without horns are called autumn, and those with horns are called dragons." The other is that the young dragon is called autumn after it has horns. Although there are differences between the two statements. But everyone is called the growing Longqiu. Others call the dragon of Panqu the dragon, and Du Mu, a poet in the Tang Dynasty, has a sentence of "A thousand plays play a sheep's intestines" in his poem "Talking about Qingyun".
Pan Guo is a snake-shaped monster of the genus Dragon, which is an early dragon without horns. There is a description of "killing dragons without horns" in Guangya. There are also two views on dragons, one refers to the yellow horned dragon and the other refers to the female dragon. There is a note in Han Zhuan that "the red dragon is also a female dragon", so the unearthed Warring States period is decorated with dragons and dragons, which means that men and women mate. From the Spring and Autumn Period to the Qin and Han Dynasties, bronzes, jade carvings, bronze mirrors or buildings were often decorated in the shape of flat flies, including single flies, double flies, three flies, five flies and even swarms of flies. Or as a title card, or as a ring, or as a book. In addition, there are Bo Gu beetles, ring beetles and other changes.
Jiao: Generally speaking, it refers to a scaly dragon that can cause floods. According to legend, the water of the dragon can make clouds and fog and soar in space. In ancient Chinese, it is often used to mean that talented people get the opportunity to display their talents. There are different opinions about the origin and shape of jiaozi in classical literature, some say that "dragons have no horns and are called jiaozi", while others say that "scales are called Xiaolong". The third volume of Mo Ke Dao Rhinoceros is more specific: Jiao is shaped like a snake, with a head like a tiger and an elder of dozens of feet. Most of them live under the caves in Xitan, and their voices are like cattle. If Jiao sees pedestrians on the shore or in the ravine, he will entangle them with his mouth and make people fall into the water, that is, suck their blood under his arm until the blood runs out. People on shore and on board often suffer from it. There is a story in Liu Yiqing's Shi Shuo Xin Yu in the Southern Song Dynasty, saying that he went into the water for three days and three nights at the beginning of the week to chop jiaozi back. Jiao may be a crocodile.
Ceratosaurus: refers to a horned dragon. According to Strange Tales from a Lonely Studio, "A Thousand-year-old Dragon, a Hundred-year-old dragon five Horned Dragon", Horned Dragon is an old man among dragons.
Ying Long: The winged dragon is called Ying Long. According to Strange Tales from a Lonely Studio, "dragon five has been a Ceratosaurus for a hundred years, and Ying Long for a thousand years", Ying Long is the essence of the dragon, so he has wings. According to legend, Ying Long was the dragon of the ancient Yellow Emperor. It was ordered by the Yellow Emperor to crusade against Chiyou and kill Chiyou to become a hero. In Yu's flood control, the dragon swept the floor with its tail and diverted the flood. This dragon is also called Huanglong, and Huanglong is it, so it is the hero of Yu. Ying Long is characterized by wings, prickly scales, long head, small nose, eyes and ears, big eyes, high eyebrow arch, sharp teeth, protruding forehead, thin neck, long tail tip and strong limbs, just like a Chinese alligator with wings. The image of Ying Long often appears in jade carvings, stone carvings, silk paintings and lacquerware in the Han Dynasty during the Warring States Period.
Fire dragon: It is a dragon threatened by fire. The whole body is purple fire, and wherever the fire dragon passes, it is all burnt.
Panlong: refers to the dragon that crouches on the ground and does not ascend to heaven. The shape of a dragon is coiled. In ancient buildings in China, dragons coiled on pillars and dragons on decorative beams and ceilings are customarily called Panlong. There is another explanation for Panlong in "Taiping Magnolia": "Panlong is four feet long, blue-black, with a brocade-like red belt, and often goes down with the water and into the sea. Toxic, it hurts. " I mix dragons with jiaozi, snakes and things like that.
Qinglong is one of the "four spirits" or "four gods", also known as the black dragon. Ancient astronomers in China divided some stars in the sky into twenty-eight star zones, that is, twenty-eight nights, to observe the movement of the moon and divide the seasons, and divided the twenty-eight nights into four groups, with seven nights in each group, four colors of blue, red, white and black, and four animals, namely dragons, birds, tigers and basalts (where turtles and snakes intersect), called "four elephants". Dragon means the east, blue, the so-called "East Palace Qinglong". In the Qin and Han dynasties, these four images became "four spirits" or "four gods" (dragon, phoenix, turtle and forest), and their mystery became more and more intense. The existing stone relief of the East Palace Black Dragon constellation in Nanyang Han Painting Academy consists of a dragon, eighteen stars and the moon, and is engraved with jade toad. This dragon is the symbol of the whole black dragon constellation. In the bricks, stones and tiles of the Han Dynasty, there are many images of "four spirits".
The dragon has nine sons, each with his own unique temperament ―― brothers and sisters may be different in many ways.
The eldest son of the dragon is named Bo and looks like a turtle. He is good at carrying heavy objects, likes writing and being famous. Therefore, let him recite the stone tablet.
Dragon's second son, named Qin Qin, likes to climb high, see far, spray waves and rain, so it is usually decorated on the roofs of buildings to prevent fires.
The third son of the dragon, named Bulao, loves to roar and music, so he is often used to decorate the big clock and make the top knob.
The fourth son of the dragon, named armadillo, looks like a tiger and is a symbol of power, so it is decorated on the prison gate to intimidate criminals.
Dragon's fifth son, named tāo tiè, was born greedy, so people decorated it on food utensils.
The sixth son of the Dragon, whose name is Xie (bā xià), likes water most on weekdays, so it is decorated at the bridgehead, bridge opening and the bridge fence.
The seventh son of the dragon, named Yazi, is said to have a fierce personality and love to fight and kill people, so it is decorated on the hilt.
The eighth son of the dragon, named Jin Xian, looks like a lion and likes fireworks. Generally decorated with incense burners.
The ninth son of the dragon, named Pepper Map, looks like a snail frog and is good at closing and protecting himself, so people decorate it on the gate to keep it open.
Nine sons give birth to dragons, that is, nine sons give birth to dragons, and none of them are Jackie Chan, so they are different. The so-called "dragon gave birth to nine children" does not mean that the dragon just gave birth to nine children. In the traditional culture of China, nine represents a lot and has a supreme position. Nine is an imaginary number and an expensive number, so it is used to describe the dragon son. There is a long-standing saying that dragons have nine sons, but there has been no saying about which nine animals are, and it was not until the Ming Dynasty that there were various opinions. In the Ming Dynasty, some scholars' notes, such as Lu Rong's Miscellaneous Notes on the Garden, Li Dongyang's Collection of Huailu Hall, Yang Shen's Collection of Climbing the Temple, Xu Li's Essay on the Old Man in the Temple, and Xu Yingqiu's Talking about Yun Yun in Tang Yuzhi, all recorded the dragon's situation, but they were not unified.
In ancient times, there was a legend that "dragons give birth to nine children, but they don't produce dragons, and each has his own interests." But what exactly is Jiuzi, there are different opinions. "Lucky Map of China" says: Nine sons.
1. The boss is a prison cow, likes music and squats on the piano head;
2. The second son (yá zì) loves to kill and fight, and is engraved on the knife ring and handle;
3. Lao San had a close call in his life, and the beast in the corner of this temple is his portrait;
4. Zisi is not old. When he is hit, he growls loudly, acting as an animal button for Hong Zhong to lift the beam and help him sing far and wide;
5.suān ní, a lion-shaped sister-in-law, likes smoking. Sit down, lean on the foot of the incense burner and smoke.
6. Six sons and Eight Xia (there is another Chinese name, which is regarded as the word in the box, [Insect Eight] [Insect Summer]), also known as XX (Bi), seems to be a turtle with teeth, and likes to bear heavy burdens, but also under the monument;
7. Seven-son armadillo (b 'àn) looks like a tiger, likes litigation, and has its image on both sides of the prison gate or the official purlin;
8. Eight sons (fù xì), like a dragon, elegant and gentle, coiled on a stone tablet;
9. Laojiu's Kiss (chī wěn), also known as the Kiss of Owl Tail or Owl (chi), is thick and easy to swallow, so it has become a thorn-swallowing beast at both ends of the temple ridge, which is used to put out fires and eliminate disasters.
The book Origin of the Gods says that the collection outside the Ascending Hall records that the nine sons of the dragon are: quality, such as turtles, good load, that is, turtles under the monument; Kiss, like a beast, looks good, standing on the roof; Gluttony, food, ding Gai; Pteris vittata, erect, standing on the bridge column; The map of pepper, like snails and clams, is closed and stands at the door; Gold, shaped like a lion, is a good fireworks, standing on the incense burner; Together with the old, the armadillo and the son, they are only the nine sons of the dragon.
One of the sayings of "Dragon of Nine Children" comes from the Collection of Huailu Hall written by Li Dongyang in Ming Dynasty. The nine sons of the dragon are:
Laoda prison cow (qiúniú)
Raul artistry
Cai Mao
Lao si pu Lao (pu Lao)
The fifth brother
Old six (b √×)
Laoqi armadillo
Old eight bears a heavy burden (Fuxi)
Laojiu kiss/tail (ch and w ě n/ch and w ě i)
Another way of saying it is:
Big brother (b √√)
Kiss the penis/tail (ch and w ě n/ch and w ě i)
Laosandao
Laosi armadillo
Old five gluttonous (tāotiè)
Old Six (Insect Eight) (Insect Summer) (bāxià)
Lao qi ya zi
Old BaSao (suānní)
Laojiu intersection map (jiāotú)
Some sayings also include beheading, Kirin, Chaotianhao (rudder) and mythical animals as one of the sons of the dragon.
One of Longsheng's nine sons, prison cow.
Prison bull, the eldest of Longsheng's nine sons, loved music all his life. He often squatted on the piano head to enjoy the music played by plucked strings, so his portrait was carved on the piano head. This kind of decoration has been used up to now, and some precious huqin heads are also engraved with the image of the dragon head, which is called "the dragon head huqin".
Longsheng JIU zi er ya zi
The second child is a son, aggressive and likes to kill people all his life. The knife ring, the handle and the dragon swallowing mouth are all portraits of it. After decorating the image of the dragon, these weapons add awesome power. It is not only decorated on the weapons of famous soldiers in the battlefield, but also widely used in ceremonial weapons and court guards, making it more dignified and solemn.
Longsheng, the third of the nine sons, laughs at the wind
Laughing at the wind, shaped like an animal, is the third child. He is doing well and looking forward to it. The animal in the corner of the temple is its portrait. These animals line up at the front of the vertical ridge. The animals are led by a "fairy" riding a bird, followed by dragons, phoenixes, lions, Tianma, seahorses, dragons, horses, bulls and other animals. Their placement has a strict hierarchy, and only the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City in Beijing can have all kinds, and the number of auxiliary halls should be reduced accordingly. Mocking the wind not only symbolizes auspiciousness, beauty and majesty, but also means to deter demons and eliminate disasters. The placement of Mockingwind makes the shape of the whole palace rigorous and changeable, achieving the harmony of solemnity and vividness, and the unity of grandeur and exquisiteness, adding a mysterious atmosphere to the towering palace.
Longsheng JIU Zisipu Prison
Not as old as a dragon, ranking fourth, and having a good voice and a good roar all his life. The dragon-shaped animal button on the Hong Zhong is its portrait. I didn't always live by the sea. Although he is a dragon, he is always afraid of giant whales. As soon as the whale attacked, it roared in fear. According to People, it is characterized by "easy singing" and "every bell wants to make a loud sound", that is, casting Bulun into a bell knob and making the wooden pestle that rings the bell into a whale shape. When ringing the bell, let the whale hit the cloth wheel again and again, making it "ring into the sky" and "sound alone"
Five of Longsheng's nine sons.
Sister-in-law, shaped like a lion, ranked fifth. All her life, she likes to be quiet, sit still and enjoy fireworks. The foot ornaments on the Buddha's seat and incense burner are its portraits. According to legend, this kind of robe decorated on the Buddha's seat was introduced to China by Indians in the Han Dynasty. By the Southern and Northern Dynasties, it had been widely used in Buddhist art in China. This shape was created by China folk artists, making it have the traditional style of China. Later he became the fifth son of the dragon. Most of the places where it is arranged are in front of Buddha and Bodhisattva sitting cross-legged or cross-legged. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the dragon-shaped decoration in the middle of the collar of the stone lion or bronze lion is also an image of the lion entering the tiger's mouth, which makes the traditional China gate lion more powerful.
The sixth of Longsheng's nine sons, Baxia
Baxia, also known as the tortoise, is the old six. He has a good load and great strength all his life, and the turtle under the pedestal is his portrait. Legend has it that in ancient times, Baxia often carried three mountains and five mountains on his back and made waves in rivers, lakes and seas. Later, Dayu subdued it when he was controlling the water. It obeyed Dayu's command, pushed mountains and dug ditches, dredged rivers and made contributions to water control. After the flood was defeated, Dayu was worried that he would run wild again, so he moved to a huge stone tablet with indomitable spirit, which was engraved with the merits of water control and told him to carry it. The heavy stone tablet prevented him from walking casually. The dam is very similar to the tortoise, but there is still a difference when you look closely. Bazaar has a row of teeth, but the tortoise doesn't. The number and shape of nail plates under the dam and on the tortoise shell are also different. Bullies, also known as stone turtles, are symbols of longevity and good luck. It is always struggling to move forward with its head held high, its four feet desperately propped up, struggling to move forward, but unable to move. The pedestals of some famous stone tablets in China are carried by Ba Xia, which can be seen in the forest of steles and some historical sites.
The dragon gave birth to seven of nine sons.
The armadillo, also known as the Charter, looks like a tiger and is the old seven. It has been litigating all its life, but it is very powerful. The tiger head decoration on the upper part of the prison door is its portrait. Legend has it that armadillos are not only eager for public interests and justice, but also brave in speaking, able to distinguish right from wrong and judge impartially. In addition, its image is majestic, and the prisoners are not only decorated on the prison door, but also squatting on both sides of the official hall. Whenever the yamen chief is in court, there is an image on the title card and the silence card of the chief. It looks around and looks around, maintaining the solemnity and righteousness of the court.
Eight of the nine children born in the Year of the Loong.
The coffin is like a dragon, ranking eighth, and his life is good. The dragons on both sides of the stone tablet are his portraits. China's inscriptions have a long history and rich contents. Some shapes are simple, smooth and bright, and light can be used as a guide. Some are exquisitely carved, with elegant words and vivid pens; There are also some famous poems and stone carvings, which are well-known throughout the ages. But she loves this inscription with artistic brilliance, and she is willing to turn it into a dragon pattern to set off these literary treasures handed down from generation to generation and decorate the pedestal more elegantly and beautifully. They are intertwined with each other and seem to be creeping slowly, which is more spectacular in coordination with the base.
Nine relatives of Longsheng's nine sons
Kiss, also known as tail licking and kissing, is a dragon-shaped spiny-swallowing beast. Laojiu, with a big mouth and a rough mouth, is easy to swallow all his life. The dragon heads at both ends of the temple ridge are his portraits. "Taiping Yu Lan" has the following description: "After the disaster of the Liang Temple in the Han Dynasty, the witch said,' There are fish in the sea, and the tail is like a owl, and the waves are like rain', so it is like a tail and Tired Ofthe Fire is auspicious." The "witch" mentioned in the article is the alchemist and the "fishbone" is the predecessor of kissing. Kissing is water-based and an evil thing to avoid fire.
According to legend, dragons are lewd. Have sex with cows and give birth to Kirin. Have sex with Kun and eat jiaozi. [Edit this paragraph] China's religion and belief in the Dragon King emerged with the rise of Buddhism, but they are very different from the Dragon King in Indian Buddhism. It can be said that the Dragon King in China is the product of Buddhism and Taoism. Taoism introduced the Buddhist dragon king and reformed it to form its own dragon king system, which is called the heavenly dragon king, the four seas dragon king and the five sides dragon king. Specific examples:
8? The "Dragon King" in Taishang Cave's "Divine Mantra Classic" has five emperors' dragon kings in terms of orientation, four seas' dragon kings in terms of ocean, 54 dragon kings' names and 62 dragon kings' names in terms of everything in the world.
8? Four Little Dragons in The Journey to the West (Ao Guang in the East China Sea, Aoqin in the West Sea, Aorun in the South China Sea and Aoshun in the North China Sea).
8? During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, the Dragon Pool in the temple was called and an altar official was set up to worship the Dragon King.
8? In the second year of Daguan in Song Huizong (1 108), it was announced that all the five dragons in the world were crowned as kings, the dragon god was the king of Ren Guang, the red dragon god was the king of Jiaze, the yellow dragon god was the king of Fu Ying, the white dragon god was the king of Yiji, and the black dragon god was the king of Lingze.
8? In the second year of Tongzhi in Qing Dynasty (1863), the dragon god of the canal was named "the god of the dragon king who should divide the water", so that the river chief could pay homage at the right time.
Because the dragon is the god of water control, where there is water, there are dragon kings in rivers, lakes and seas and deep ponds and wells, which are responsible for floods and droughts in this area. So there are many temples of Wang Long in the north and south of the Yangtze River, which has become an important part of dragon worship. Taoism
Taoism, a native religion in China, was formed on the basis of primitive religion, which combined witchcraft, nature worship, animal worship and fairy witchcraft in the Qin and Han Dynasties, and became theoretical and systematic. Early Taoists had realized that dragons came from snakes. There is a cloud in "Yellow and White Articles": "The dragon of the snake is no different from the one he gave birth to. However, the root causes are all caused by natural feelings.
Obeying the emperor in the Eastern Han Dynasty, Zhang Daoling advocated the Five Mi Dou Doctrine, with Laozi as the leader and Laozi's Five Thousand Books as the main classic, and gradually formed an artificial religious form with doctrine, doctrine and canon as the main content. Taoism has had an indissoluble bond with dragon worship since its formation. In the pre-Qin period, Lapras's belief in Zhou Zhou's four seas, Lapras's belief in ascending to heaven, and the belief in connecting heaven and man with dragons were all completely inherited by Taoism.
The descendants of Zhang Daoling, the founder of Taoism, all inherited his career and were called "Shi Tian", and were told that they were predestined friends with dragons. According to legend, the third generation surnamed Lu had ten sons, nicknamed "Zhang's Ten Dragons". Another legend is that Zhang Lu's daughter was washing clothes at the foot of the mountain, and suddenly there was white fog around her, so she got pregnant before marriage and committed suicide in shame. Leave last words before dying. Be sure to dissect the body and see what's in it. As a result, there were two twin dragons in the belly, and the maid put them into the Hanshui River. Many later Taoist representatives are said to have a mysterious relationship with dragons, such as Tao Hongjing, a Taoist representative in the Southern Dynasties. It is said that his mother was born a dragon, and he is a kind of dragon.
The most important role of dragons in Taoism is to help Taoists bury themselves and communicate with ghosts and gods. The dragon is considered as one of the "three sedan chairs". The "three sedan chairs" referred to here are dragon sedan chairs, tiger sedan chairs and deer sedan chairs. The sedan chair of Taoism is mainly used as a riding tool for burial. Mr. Zhang Guangzhi thinks: "The owner of No.45 tomb in Puyang is the primitive Taoist or wizard in Yangshao cultural society, and the dragon, tiger and deer made of clam shells are the artistic images of the three sedan chairs he can summon." He linked the clam, dragon, tiger and deer with the three sedan chairs in ancient primitive Taoism, and thought they were related.
Legend has it that Shi Tian and Zhenjun, who have magical powers, can also summon and drive away dragons. Youyang mixed. Strange art said: in a landlord's house called Yun 'an, there is a fifteen-mile dangerous beach by the river, and no one pulls the fiber, so the boat can't cross it. Shi Tian Zhaigan, a thin generation, paid tribute on business trips, tied an altar and called dragons, a total of 14, all of whom became old people. Zhai Shitian asked them to level the dangerous beach to make it easier to travel by boat. The dragon was led away, and overnight, the wind and thunder struck, and all the rapids in 14 turned into Pingtan, leaving only one mile. Zhai knew at a glance that the dragon didn't arrive yesterday, so he went to the altar and called him. Three days later, a woman came to Fang. It turned out to be a female dragon. Eloquence: wealthy businessmen cross the river by boat, and the poor in Yunan pull the fiber for them. They always make a living by pulling fibers. If the shoal is gone and the boat is unimpeded, how can we eat and wear it? I would rather take a dangerous beach to support a tracker than use a boat to help a rich businessman. Zhai Shitian nodded after hearing this, so he told Zhu Long to put everything back to its original state.
Buddhism
In Buddhist scriptures, the dragon king Nāgarāja has various names. For example, the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Method says that there are eight dragon kings, one is the dragon king who is difficult to reach, the other is the dragon king who is difficult to reach, the third is the dragon king in Gaha, the fourth is the dragon king in Heji, the fifth is the dragon king in Germany, the sixth is the dragon king in Anaboda, the seventh is the dragon king in Monas, and the eighth is the dragon king in Fu Bo.
The relationship between dragon and Buddhism is still controversial in academic circles. It is said that China's worship of the "Dragon King" was introduced from India with Buddhism. The reason is that there is no "Dragon King" worship in China. Before the Han Dynasty, there were only "dragon gods" but no "dragon kings". After the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Buddhist beliefs were introduced into China, and the belief in the Dragon King spread throughout the Middle-earth.
Another way of saying this is that the dragon in Indian Buddhism was handed down from China and recreated by Indians to become the "Dragon King". With the spread of Buddhism to the east, the worship of the Dragon King returned to China. There are seven reasons for this:
First, the dragon culture of the Chinese nation has a long history and has been excavated in an orderly way. The earliest dragon image is a Xinglongwa Culture stone carving dragon found in the Chahai site in Fuxin, Liaoning Province, followed by the clam shell dragon in Xishuipo, Henan Province, attracting worldwide attention. The third piece is a dragon made of pebbles found in Jiaodun site of Zhangcheng Village, Baihu Township, Huangmei County. The fourth is the well-known Inner Mongolia Samsung Tara Yulong and so on. All these fully prove that dragon worship was very common in China as early as six or seven thousand years ago, and that dragon culture is a local culture in China, not a foreign culture.
Secondly, according to the earliest archaeological data of Indian dragons, the murals "The Dragon King and His Family" in the first century BC and "The Dragon Worship Bodhi Tree" before and after the times are all about 5,000 years later than the Shilong in China-Liaoning Tea Sea.
Thirdly, in terms of written records, according to the known historical materials, the earliest written record of dragons in India is The Theory of Wisdom written by Long Shu around the second century A.D., which is only about 1800 years ago. China recorded dragons much earlier than India. There are many "dragons" and some records of dragon worship in Oracle Bone Inscriptions in Shang Dynasty, which shows that dragon worship in China was very common 3500 years ago.
Fourthly, since its formation, Dragon Culture has spread rapidly not only at home, but also abroad. Long Dan in Indian Buddhism was handed down from China. There may be two ways of transmission: one is through the southwest of China. According to archaeological data, as early as the Neolithic Age, the stone culture in the Yellow River Basin spread to Tibet and its south. In the early Qin and Han Dynasties, the commodity trade between China and India was frequent. Therefore, it is entirely possible that China's dragon worship was introduced into India in this way. Another way to spread dragon culture is the Silk Road in the Western Regions. The Central Plains Dynasty had contact with the Western Regions as early as 3,000 years ago. It is said that immigrants came to Conglindong at the beginning of the week. After the Shang Dynasty destroyed Xia Hou, some Xia tribes migrated to the northwest. After arriving in Gansu and other places, they continued to migrate to the west and entered the Yanqi country in the western regions. Later, these dragon tribes who moved into Yanqi became the rulers of the country in the Jin Dynasty, and took "Dragon" as their surname. To be sure, they brought their own dragon culture to the western regions.
Fifthly, from the linguistic point of view, there is no special word for "dragon" in Sanskrit in ancient India, and "dragon" and "snake" are represented by the same word. In ancient Indian mythology, lightning was caused by Indra, a great god riding a white elephant and holding a lightning chisel. After the dragon was introduced into India, the dragon god quickly replaced Indra and became the master of wind, rain, thunder and lightning. So the word "snake" also means "dragon".
Sixthly, there are about 20 dragon legends recorded in "The Tale of the Western Regions of Datang", including 5 in the Western Regions, 5 in North India, 0/0 in China and 0/0 in South India. Judging from the contents of the coming year, the dragon legends of Qiuci and Yutian are very similar to those of ancient China. There is a story about Lapras and dragons mating with women, which has nothing to do with Buddhism. However, the myths and legends about the dragon south of Congling and adjacent to India in the Records of the Western Regions of Datang are related to the figures in Buddhism. This also shows that the western regions are a way for the dragon culture to spread to India.
Seventh, primitive dragons in China have many images and attributes of snakes, and so do Indian dragons, which are closely related to snakes. In Buddhist painting and sculpture, the dragon king usually has an unfolded cobra crown with three or five or seven heads behind his head. In addition, Buddhist scriptures often say that "dragons are shaped like snakes", which also shows that Indian dragons have the attributes of snakes.
There are also differences between dragons and dragons in Buddhism, mainly in the following aspects:
First, the biggest difference between dragons and Indian dragons is their different social status. In the dragon, it has the supreme status, especially after the combination of dragon worship and politics, the dragon has become the symbol of the emperor. Indian dragon is a general god, such as the "dragon" in Buddhist scriptures, but it is just an ordinary protector and has no supreme status. In the animal worship in India, the golden winged bird is the highest worship, and the dragon is often the prey of the golden winged bird. In Buddhist scriptures, one of the "three evils" of dragons is the golden winged bird. Legend has it that the golden-winged bird feeds on dragons every day, and it needs a big dragon king and 500 little dragons a day. This shows that the status of the dragon is far below that of the golden-winged bird, while that of China is just the opposite, far above that of the phoenix bird.
Second, the dragon in the ancient legend of China can ascend to heaven and enter the earth to communicate with heaven and man; You can ride for god and shuttle between heaven and earth. For example, the Yellow Emperor ascended to heaven, and Zhuan Xu and He Kai also arrived. The dragon in Indian Buddhism has no such divinity. The great god rides a golden winged bird. For example, Vishnu, an ancient Indian god, often flew on a golden winged bird. Manjushri in Buddhism rides a lion or sits on a white lotus platform; Bodhisattva Samantabhadra rides a six-toothed white elephant or sits on the Qinglintai.
Thirdly, before the introduction of the worship of the Buddhist Dragon King, the dragon in China had no regional characteristics, and was regarded as the dominant rain god, which was widely worshipped by all ethnic groups. The images of dragons are basically the same, but the colors are different, which are divided into five types: blue, red, white, black and yellow. Although Indians regard dragons as their "kings" and "palaces", the local gods of Indian dragons are obvious. There are many kinds of dragon kings, and there are dragon kings and dragon palaces in all waters, which shows that dragons are only the dominant gods in a certain water area.
Fourthly, in India, the Dragon King is a believer, provider or patron of Buddhism, while in China, influenced by Taoism and Confucianism, the belief in the Dragon King has also undergone various changes. Under the influence of Taoism, the Dragon King of China became a subordinate of the Jade Emperor. Under the influence of Confucianism, the legend of the Dragon King in China emphasizes benevolence, faith and righteousness, and emphasizes the love between husband and wife, brothers and father and daughter, which is divided into good and evil. In addition, the dragon kings in all parts of the Central Plains generally have surnames, first names and titles, which are also unique to China.
Judging from the above differences, dragon culture was introduced to India before Qin and Han Dynasties, because in Qin and Han Dynasties, dragons began to combine with emperor worship. Before this, the dragon god naturally dominated the rain, and so did the Indian dragon king, which dominated the sea, lakes and pools. After dragon worship was introduced into India, it was recreated and combined with local culture to form a dragon culture with Indian characteristics.
At the same time, the introduction of Indian Buddhist art had a great influence on the image of the dragon. From the Han and Jin Dynasties to the Tang and Song Dynasties, the image of the dragon was obviously influenced by Buddhist art during its evolution. For example, the dragon on the murals of the Northern Wei Dynasty in Dunhuang is dynamic, but it gives people a sense of tranquility. This shape obviously comes from the flying in contemporary Buddhism. The lion in Indian Buddhism also has a great influence on the evolution of the image of the dragon. The dragon in the Tang and Song Dynasties absorbed the image of the lion. The head is round and plump, the back of the head is covered with shackles, and the nose is similar to a lion's nose. The dragon on the mural of Nantang Tomb in Jiangning, Jiangxi Province looks like a lion not only in the head, but also in the whole body. The dragon absorbs the image of a lion mainly to show its great power and increase its magical power.