Overview of Dragon Culture in Huangdi Culture

The early ideological basis of dragon culture is primitive religion and totem belief. From the perspective of sociology, ethnology and folklore, it is indeed the truth of history. Pluralistic dragons are deified in people's hearts and become dragon gods. The ancestor of mankind respected by later generations blended with the dragon god. Rulers and ethnic groups in past dynasties inherited the tradition of dragon belief and formed a dragon culture phenomenon with tenacious vitality.

In the era of three emperors and five emperors, dragons were not only deified, but also famous leaders were deified. For example, Fuxi's ancestor was Thor (Dragon), with a dragon body and a head. Bei Tang's Book of Chao Yi Biao says: "Tai Hao Snake (Dragon) Head". The Postscript of Taoist History says that Fuxi is a "dragon with a cow's head". Most of the stone reliefs, murals, silk paintings and bronze mirrors found in archaeology have the images of Fuxi and Nuwa, all of which are snake heads (dragons). Zuo Zhuan said: Fuxi Tai Hao "was a dragon master in the name of the dragon master, so he was a dragon master". Emperor Yan, the last emperor of Shennong, said in the poem "Fog" that he was a "dragon head with a face like a dragon". The five emperors who had the greatest influence on the ancient history of China: Huangdi, Zhuan Xu, Di Ku, Yao and Shun, and the ancestors of Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties, intertwined with the dragon gods, played a decisive role in the development of dragon culture in later generations. The Book of Records of the Historian Tianguan says: "Xuanyuan Huanglong Style". According to the bamboo chronicles, Zhuan Xu's mother's name is Nvshu, and she made friends with the dragon and gave birth to Zhuan Xu. "Lu Shi Shu Wei Ji" Note: "(Zhuan Xu) has a long face." There is a record of "Gao Zukui" in Oracle Bone Inscriptions, and Benshan thinks that "Gao Zukui is Di Ku". Shuowen said that Kui is like a dragon. "Chronicle of Bamboo Slips" said: "Yao mother was born in April with a red dragon." Notes on Road History | The tablet of Emperor Yao says: Yao is "dragon face, sun horn, eight colors and three eyes". "Chronicle of Bamboo Slips" says: Emperor Shun is "a dragon with a big face and a black mouth". The five emperors, led by the Yellow Emperor, are all incarnations of the dragon god, who plays a key role in the development of dragon culture.

For example, there are 335 mountains with dragon gods in Shan Hai Jing. The total journey of each mountain is about 4000 kilometers, so you can imagine how big the area is. The Classic of Mountains and Seas and the Classic of Great Wilderness record many countries, and many countries have dragon gods. Among them are Malone, Bird Dragon, Ichthyosaur, Qinglong and Red Dragon. Some are called "Four Birds", but they are actually bears, Hei Hu and leopards, belonging to the mutated dragons. The modern ancestor of Xia nationality is Jin He. According to Cage, the gun "turned into a yellow dragon". Dayu's mother is Hughes, which means a long snake. Liezi Huangdi said: Xia Houshi is a snake (dragon) with a human face. The ancestor of Shang Dynasty is "Gao Zu Kui", and some people say that Kui is a dragon. Among the artifacts unearthed in Shang dynasty, there are patterns such as gluttonous dragon, panlong, dragon slayer, dragon slayer and ichthyosaur. Historical Records Biography of Xiongnu said: Xiongnu chieftain "held a meeting in Longcheng in May to worship ancestors, heaven and earth, ghosts and gods". "Suoyin" quoted Cui as saying: "In the west, Mr. Hu always works for the dragon god, hence the name" Dragon City ". Baiyue people in ancient times were widely distributed in Guangdong and Guangxi in the south of China. According to Xu Shen's note in Huai Nan Zi Tai Shi Jia, "The Yue people regard prickly skin as a dragon, so they respect it." It should be noted before the geography of Hanshu: "(Yue people) are often in the water, so their hair is broken and their body is like a dragon." So, there is no harm. "The Biography of the Southern Han Dynasty" said: Mourn people, "all kinds of paintings are like dragons. "

The reflection of dragon culture in modern nationalities: She nationality: dogs are called dragon dogs, and coats, hats and walking sticks are all made of the symbol of dragon dogs. Every year, when offering sacrifices to ancestors, we should sing "Song of Emperor Gao", also known as "Song of Emperor Long". In ancient times, Miao people, like She people, believed in dragons and dogs. Nowadays, Miao people dance dragons every year when they celebrate the harvest. There is "Dragon Boat Festival" in Miao festivals. There are many tattoo designs of Zhuang nationality, including crocodiles, snakes and Yun Leiwen, all of which are dragon designs. Zhuang people believe in many gods, including snakes, bears, crocodiles and dogs, all of which belong to the dragon system. There are dragon lantern dances during the Spring Festival. There are many beautiful dragon legends among Gaoshan and Yao people. Li nationality, originally a Baiyue nationality, also has tattoo custom and abnormal dragon worship. During the festival, the Mulao people, men, women and children will participate in the activities of playing dragon lanterns. The story of the woodcutter saving the Dragon King is circulated among the Jing people. Yi people's totem beliefs are: dragon, snake, dog, tiger, chicken and so on. Bai people believe in Dragon Jade and Leigong, and their ancestors are dragons, snakes, bears, horses and pigs. The Hani people use the zodiac to record the days, including "Dragon Day" and "Snake Day". On the first Dragon Day in October of the lunar calendar, sacrificial trees are sacrificed. Hani totem includes snakes, dogs and tigers in the dragon system. Dai totem believes in dragons and snakes, and dragon boat races are held every year at the Songkran Festival. The totem beliefs of Yi people are dragon, snake, dog, horse, fish and bear. The totem beliefs of Naxi people include snakes (dragons), tigers and leopards. Achang people play the dance of Qinglong, and there is the story of the epic dragon in Genesis. The ancestors of Nu people are descendants of snakes (dragons) and bees. Among the deities worshipped by De 'ang people is the "Dragon God". They regard "dragon girl" as their ancestor. Dulong calls itself "Dulong" and foreigners call it "Dragon". The most important festival of Jinuo nationality is "dragon festival". Buyi people have dragons, and totem beliefs include dragons, fish and cows. The Dong people built the famous "Si Long Bridge" on the Hunan Passage. Its totem beliefs include dragons, snakes and dogs. Its architecture and murals include sculptures and patterns of dragons. There is a story of dragon dancing in the Shui nationality. During the Yuan Dynasty, Mongols worshipped dragons and even monopolized them. Manchu, in Shenyang Forbidden City and Beijing Forbidden City, is simply an ocean of dragons. All kinds of dragon patterns can be seen in temples and cultural relics all over the world. There are many images of dragons on Korean murals. Hezhe people believe that rain is caused by the dragon god in the sky. The festivals of Daur, Oroqen and Ewenki are similar to those of Han nationality. They believe in rain gods, Raytheon, water gods and rainbow gods, all of which are synonyms of dragon gods. Both Tibetan and tantric nationalities have rich dragon culture. The dragon culture of Han nationality is rich and colorful, ranking first among all ethnic groups.

Dragon culture is very prominent in the imperial class. Yu Xia and Gao Zusi of Shang Dynasty were both incarnations of dragons. Zhou Wenwang is a "dragon face and tiger shoulder", and the jade seal used by Zhou and Qin Shihuang is a "dragon and tiger buckle". After Qin Shihuang unified the six countries, he called the first emperor "Zulong". Liu Bang, the founding monarch of the Han Dynasty, was recorded as the Red Dragon in Historical Records. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, Liu Xiu dreamed of riding a dragon and becoming an emperor. During the Three Kingdoms period, Liu Bei, Sun Quan and Cao Pi all engaged in "seeing Huanglong" Fu Rui, indicating that they should be predestined. Liang Wudi in Southern Song Dynasty, Xiao Daocheng and Xiao Yan in Qi Dynasty, Emperor Wendi in Sui Dynasty, Li Yuan, Li Shimin and Li Longji in Tang Dynasty, Zhu Wen in Hou Liang, Guo Wei in the following week, etc. , have fabricated the story of the dragon to create public opinion for the emperor's throne. Titles of emperors in past dynasties, such as Huanglong in Xuan Di, Longxing in Gongsun Shu in the Eastern Han Dynasty, Huanglong in Guanwu in the Three Kingdoms, Qinglong in Wei Mingdi, Qinglong in Houzhao, Qinglong in Houyan, Longsheng in Xialianbobo, Longshuo in Tang Gaozong and Shenlong in Tang Zhongzong, etc. Among them are the Han emperor, the minority emperor, the unified emperor and the partial emperor. All use the word "dragon" as the title. From the Western Han Dynasty to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, emperors in China for more than 2,000 years regarded the dragon as a symbol of the emperor and imperial power, and dressed themselves as real dragon emperors. Especially after the Song and Yuan Dynasties, emperors monopolized the dragon culture, and "the dragon is the only respect" and "the emperor is the only respect", and regulated the use of dragon culture by the whole society in the form of government decrees.

Dragon culture is also very prominent in science, literature, art, politics and religion. The earliest divination in Zhouyi was about dragons. In The Book of Songs, Zhou Li Dongguan Second Examination Gong Ji Cheren, Shang Song, Zhou Song and Truffle all mentioned the Dragon Flag. "Painting dragons" is mentioned in Zuo Zhuan. Wang Chong's Lun Heng is dedicated to dragons. The appearance of the "waiting wind seismograph" made by Zhang Heng is the image of a dragon. In the book Huai Nan Zi, the theory of "dragon gives birth to everything" was put forward. Bai Juyi wrote dragon festival and Fu to the Black Dragon Pool. Shen Kuo, a great scientist in the Northern Song Dynasty, also told the story of the dragon in Meng Qian Bi Tan. In Xia Ji, Lu You in the Southern Song Dynasty believed that dragons could rain. There are stories about dragons in various books of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism and in many unofficial history. Painters and sculptors of all ages have handed down their works about dragons, such as: dragon dancing, Yue Long Feng Ming, dragon walking, tiger sitting on a dragon plate, Yue Long, dragon soul, dragon singing and tiger roaring, dragon eyebrows and phoenix posture, etc. There are countless expressions in people's production and life. Astronomy, place names, animals and plants are all summarized in dragon characters.

Although the dragon culture was monopolized by the rulers of past dynasties, it still has a rich foundation among the people and has formed a strong folk culture, which has been passed down to this day. For example, on the fifteenth day of the first month of the Lantern Festival, the custom of dancing dragon lanterns is everywhere. The second day of the second lunar month is the "Dragon Head Lift Festival". Dragon Boat Festival is the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, and it is also a "Dragon Boat Festival". Dragon boat races are held in many places. Folk have "June 6th Silk Festival", also known as "Dragon Clothes Festival". There are all kinds of "social fires" held by the people, including singing and dancing activities such as "playing with dragon lanterns" and "playing with live dragons", as well as activities such as "rowing dragon boats to catch ducks", "speed rowing" and "tug of war". There are dragon king temples or river temples all over the country, and the main god in the temple is the dragon god. There are also four dragon kings in folklore, all of whom are leaders of the areas under his jurisdiction. We dare not offend the Dragon King because he is in charge of all the droughts and floods. The legend of the dragon is spread all over the people, not only the Han nationality, but also many ethnic minorities. There should be more than 10 thousand place names with dragon characters. I don't know how many people in China have dragon names. There are dragons and snakes in the zodiac, and snakes are called dragons. Everyone has an animal sign. The population of China has reached 654.38+0.3 billion, of which more than 654.38+0 billion belong to dragons and more than 654.38+0 billion belong to dragons. There are more than 200 million people who belong to the dragon, distributed in various families and connected in series with other zodiac signs. What an interesting dragon brand culture. Judging from today's society, it is impossible to count how many shops and companies have the name of the dragon, how many goods have the characters of the dragon, and how many books, periodicals, murals and sculptures have the image of the dragon, but it can be seen everywhere. Generally speaking, China is really a dragon country.

Dragon culture has a long history. It permeates all ethnic groups, from imperial class to folk, from astronomical phenomena to geography, from official history to unofficial history, from sculpture and painting to poetry and songs, from various buildings to utensils and costumes, from language and vocabulary to legends and stories, from sacrifices to festivals. It can be said that throughout the ages, dragon culture has covered the land of China and is an integral part of national psychological quality. "Descendants of the Dragon" can't be a scientific concept, but it is the identity of national cohesion psychology. The formation of the dragon itself is diverse, and the stereotyped dragon image is a combination of multiple elements, a clever treatment of art, and a symbol of great integration, unity and unity. The national psychological dragon is the symbol of the Chinese nation. It will soar with its head held high, soar in space and show its magnificent style to the world.