Why do dragons represent emperors?

The dragon was originally the object of worship of Chinese ancestors, but with the deepening of autocracy and the increasing expansion of monarchical power, the royal family took the dragon as its own by virtue of its political advantages.

After the dragon was deified, it was combined with emperor worship. In the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, the dragon pattern was officially regarded as the emperor's coat of arms and a symbol of power. At this time, the Shang and Zhou emperors hung nine dragon flags and wore dragon robes to sacrifice to the first king. During the Qin and Han Dynasties, the unification of China needed a corresponding great god to integrate the beliefs of all ethnic groups, and dragon worship was further combined with emperor worship.

Ancient emperors in China described themselves as incarnations or sons of the Dragon God, or people protected by the Dragon God, who built their prestige with the help of dragons and gained people's universal trust and support. In this way, the dragon gained a more prominent position and played a very important role in the development of dragon culture.

It is recorded in Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals, and it is called the dragon. Later, Qin Shihuang called it "Zulong". After the Qin and Han Dynasties, the dragon has been shaped into the incarnation of the emperor and granted a patent by the royal family. The emperor is the "real dragon emperor", born as "the real dragon descended from the sky" and died as "the dragon royal guest"; People living in Long Ting, people lying on dragon beds, people sitting on dragon chairs and people wearing dragon robes.

Extended data

The source of the real dragon emperor:

Explanation: In ancient times, the emperor was regarded as the son of heaven and the incarnation of the dragon, so he was called the son of heaven.

The source is Luo Jing written by Li Shangyin in the Tang Dynasty: "It's a pity that you became Du Yu. Maybe the real dragon was the first owner." (referring to Liu Bei)

Unfortunately, the monarch of Shu will inevitably become a cuckoo. How did Bei, the former master, become the only thrill to dominate the world?

Reference source

Baidu encyclopedia-dragon