When Chinese New Year comes, you will see the dance of dragons in Chinatown everywhere in the world. In Chinese culture, the dragon is a symbol of the power, dignity, and prosperity. The image of the dragon interweaves with Chinese history of 5000 years. The Chinese people call themselves the descendants of the dragon. Today, I would like to share with you something interesting about the dragon.

First, let's start from the image of the Chinese Dragon. In Chinese mythology, the dragon is described as having the body of a snake, the face of a horse, antlers of the deer and claws of the eagle. The dragon also has the beard of a goat and the scales of a fish.

Second, I would like to talk about the dragon in Chinese Imperial history. As a symbol of the supreme power, the dragon was adopted by every Chinese dynasty as the Imperial emblem. The dragon appeared on the emperor's garments in each Chinese dynasty, from Huang Di to the Qing Dynasty with no exception. Actually, it also appeared on everywhere of the imperial palace such as the columns of the palace, the stone tablets, etc. Even furniture used by the emperor was curved with dragons. So, the emperor's chair is called " Dragon Chair" and the emperor's gown was called "Dragon Gown". If you read a book on Chinese history which said someone had "put on the dragon gown", that means someone overtook the position of the emperor, which in most cases, was a coup.

Next, I would like to tell you something that's happened around us. The Year 2000 is the Dragon year in China. It's also the beginning of a new millennium. Chinese people believe that the year of the Dragon will bring good luck, happiness, and prosperity to them. Many young couples have planned and are trying hard to have a baby born after the ringing of the new millennium.

Finally, I would like to say that there are a lot of mythologies about the dragon in China and they are really interesting. Therefore, if you're interested in the dragon and the mythologies of dragons, I would like to suggest you to go to China and have a close look.