Why the Dragon is Central to Chinese Culture | Monstrum

The Chinese dragon is one of the world’s most globally recognized monsters. Playing a major role throughout Chinese history, they were both creators and destroyers and controlled the elements. They've influenced everything from politics to religion—what is it about the Chinese Dragon that makes it such a central figure in Chinese culture?

The world is full of monsters, myths, and legends and Monstrum isn’t afraid to take a closer look. The show, hosted by Emily Zarka, Ph.D., takes us on a journey to discover a new monster in each new episode. Monstrum looks at humans' unique drive to create and shape monster mythology through oral storytelling, literature, and film and digs deep into the history of those mythologies.

Written and Hosted by: Dr. Emily Zarka
Director: David Schulte
Executive Producer: Amanda Fox
Producer: Thomas Fernandes
Editor/Animator: P.W. Shelton
Assistant Editor: Jordyn Buckland
Illustrator: Samuel Allen
Executive in Charge (PBS): Maribel Lopez
Director of Programming (PBS): Gabrielle Ewing
Additional Footage: Shutterstock
Music: APM Music

Produced by Spotzen for PBS Digital Studios.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Allan, Sarah. “The Taotie Motif in Early Chinese Ritual Bronzes.” The Zoomorphic Imagination in Chinese Art and Culture Eds. Jerome Silbergeld, and Eugene Y. Wang. University of Hawai’I Press, 2016: pp. 21–66.

Hodge, Bob, and Kam Louie. The Politics of Chinese Language and Culture the Art of Reading Dragons. Routledge, 1998.

Ho, Judy Chungwa. “Representing the Twelve Calendrical Animals as Beastly, Human, and Hybrid Beings in Medieval China.” The Zoomorphic Imagination in Chinese Art and Culture Eds. Jerome Silbergeld, and Eugene Y. Wang. University of Hawai’I Press, 2016: pp. 95–136.

Irwin, J. O’Malley. “Fossils of the Chinese Dragon.” The Far Eastern Review. Dec. 1915, Vol. XII, Issue 7, pg. 247.

Purtle, Jennifer. “The Pictorial Form of a Zoomorphic Ecology: Dragons and Their Painters in Song and Southern China.” The Zoomorphic Imagination in Chinese Art and Culture Eds. Jerome Silbergeld, and Eugene Y. Wang. University of Hawai’I Press, 2016: 253–288.

Sax, Boria. Imaginary Animals: The Monstrous, the Wondrous and the Human. Reaktion Books, Limited, 2013.

Schipper, Mineke., et al. China’s Creation and Origin Myths Cross-Cultural Explorations in Oral and Written Traditions. Brill, 2011.

Sri Ranjan, Dharma Keerthi, and Zhou Chang. “The Chinese Dragon Concept as a Spiritual Force of the Masses.” Sabaramuwa University Journal, vol. 9, no. 1, Dec. 2010, pp. 65–80.

Strassberg, Richard E. Chinese Bestiary. University of California Press, 2002.

Zhang, Qiong. “From ‘Dragonology’ to Meteorology: Aristotelian Natural Philosophy and the Beginning of the Decline of the Dragon in China.” Early Science and Medicine, vol. 14, no. 1-3, BRILL, 2009, pp. 340–68.

[dovelugosi]

My grandmother was born in Saigon in 1923 (when Vietnam, Laos and Cambodge were a french colony). We had to pass in front of her open door at night to go to the bathroom and were terrified of the dragon we heard growling at night in her room (you know the one she took with her from Vietnam). One day I was old enough to understand that she was just the loudest snorer.

[weilan]

My favourite tale of the dragon is a proverb 叶公好龙（Mr Ye loves the Dragon): Mr Ye was obsessed with dragons and his clothes and furnitures etc were full of dragons. The dragons heard about this man and were very interested in him. They decided to show up in front of Mr Ye to give him a surprise. But when the man saw the actual dragon he scared the sh*t out of him. The proverb means someone shows interested in something but not actually having a passion or real interest in it.

[izthistle]

The depiction of dragons reflects the relationship between ancient Chinese and the environment a lot, especially water. Like ancient Egyptian and the Nile river, China have rivers affected by seasons, which would cause flooding. As a farming-based society, access to water and land is very important, so you can imagine how much impact those major rivers have.

[tamulemon]

Dragon is never described as a ‘monster’ in traditional Chinese culture. It’s always divine.

[megmiao]

It is so great to hear about Chinese dragon mythologies on this channel. Dragon culture is so imbedded in Chinese people’s life that we rarely think much about it. It’s fascinating to hear the stories told in English, where familiar Chinese terms became a foreign and really got me look at the mythologies in a new way. Some stories are even new for me! I’m going to look those up and learn more about my own culture!

[vincentx]

I am still very much invested in the association between Chinese dragon and crocodillians. Both the saltwater crocodile and the now extinct gharial Hanyusuchus were present in southern China, both growing more than 6m long. And one of the characters for dragon in the oracle bone script looks really similar to a crocodile swimming in water when viewed from above (another common one looks like a water monitor with its head held high). The Japanese character for dragon, 竜, is the descendent of this writing, and the resemblance is still very apparent. But as larger crocodilians became extinct in northern China, people forgot about what this animal actually looked like, and the imagery of the creature evolved and became more and more fantastic. Similar things can be seen in other exotic creatures too - look no further than the ancient Chinese depiction of lions. Even the modern character for crocodile is a relatively recent creation. Nonetheless, the much smaller Chinese alligators are called hog dragons till this day.

[hsxbtve]

I really liked the dragon in shang chi. I was afried that they will do what they always do when it come to dragons and just give her a fire breath but no, she controlled water like in chinese myths. It was really refreshing.

[germanrodriguez]

The Chinese text "Journey to the West" even shows that dragons live under the sea, build cities, and even imitate human society: rulers, nobles, and peasants. The same tropes are followed by the Korean dragons "ryon" and Japanese dragons, either known as tatsu, ryu, or wani.

[ting]

In ancient China, the dragon symbolized auspiciousness, jubilation, unity, progress and take-off. It is a synonym for imperial power, but also has the meaning of cultural symbol (nobility, honor, luck, success), and also has a lot to do with the incomparable supernatural power of the legendary dragon that can ride in the sky, go down to the sea to chase the waves, and shout the wind and rain in the world. Auspicious clouds and dragons can also be considered as a combination. You can learn about the beautiful auspicious clouds in ancient China. They have a variety of patterns. They also symbolize good luck, joy, and the yearning for a better life. They are very unique

[jakirokotaro]

I would love for this series to cover the Naga from Hindu and Buddhist traditions in South East Asia. There is a lot of mythology there that gets overlooked because it isn't as mainstream.

[wimvanderstraeten]

The word "dragon" also appears in the title of quite a lot of martial arts movies (e.g. Enter the Dragon).

[gzcoziz]

7:03 Huangdi was not belong to the Han dynasty, actually from a long long ago, in mythological period. The story is that thousands of years ago, Huangdi defeated Yandi and became the first king of China in mythology. Because he was claimed to be the direct ancestor of Han ethnic, you might be confused with that.

[aisadal]

I always love learning about other cultures and their mythologies 🥰

[mikegould]

Dragons. One of the worldwide shared monsters. Every culture, including indigenous, has them. Along with giants, shape shifters, undead, spirits, demons, and "witches" (aka evil sorcerers), they compose the core of our shared monster mythology.
And may I add that waking up to Monstrum makes the day so much better? Always appreciative of the lore.

[moonstonepearl]

With dragon myths coming from literally all over the world, I always figured dinosaur fossils played a part in that, so it was cool to see an instance of that playing a role in supporting the legend of dragons.

[blazebardgames]

I remember reading somewhere that, at certain geological sites in China, the unique combinations of minerals in the area means that it's sometimes possible to find crystals growing on fossils, which may be an explanation for why Chinese dragons are so often depicted with a pearl in their throat or chin.

[Just_Some_Guy_with_a_Mustache]

I will never not find it funny that there was a race between all of the animals, and the top 12 would become the Zodiac. And in this race, the dragon didn't come in second. It didn't even come in third. Or fourth. And first place went to the rat/mouse. So if you have any relatives who brag about being born the year of the dragon and you're a rat/mouse, you can hold that over them forever.

[wipeoutliang]

I know many people relate Chinese mythology with Dragon, but don't forget Phoenix as well! Many terms in Chinese associate Dragon AND Phoenix together as if they were complementary to each other

[pennypaints]

SMASHING THAT LIKE BUTTON SO FAST. Please do more Chinese mythical animals!

[nubt]

Dr. Emily, you should explore more into other nationality's experiences with dragons as well. I'm Hmong (an ethnic minority of China) and we strongly believe in the influence of dragons even in modern days--mainly related to illness and death.