Apple's "Year of the Dragon" phone case sparks heated discussion! Dragon descendants, here's what you need to know →

Editor: Gong Zixin

Recently, Apple launched a "Year of the Dragon Special Edition" mobile phone case. Some netizens pointed out that in traditional Chinese culture, "five claws are a dragon and four claws are a python", which actually means that the python is a dragon.

Image source: Apple official website

Then #Apple's Dragon Year Phone Case Was Rant About, Pointing Out Pythons as Dragons# quickly became a hot search

But there are also voices saying that the dragon in traditional Chinese culture

It didn't have five claws at the beginning, but it developed from three claws, four claws to five claws.

What exactly is it like?

Image source: User comments

From ancient times to the present

We believe in and love the totem of our nation——

Chinese Dragon

Our dragon has been flying through the clouds and mist since very early times. There are countless dragon patterns in different dynasties, and its image has become more and more complex with the evolution of the times.

The changes in the oracle bone script of the character "dragon" can give us the earliest clues to the image of the dragon. "Chinese Heritage" Issue 11, 2016 Illustration/Sun Keyi

In the early days, the ancients could not give a reasonable explanation for most natural phenomena, so they hoped that their national totem would have the power of wind, rain, thunder and lightning, and be able to swim in the water like a fish and fly in the sky like a bird. Therefore, the characteristics of many animals were concentrated on the dragon, and the dragon gradually became: camel head, snake neck, deer horns, turtle eyes, fish scales, tiger paws, eagle claws, and cow ears. This complex structure means that the dragon is the head of all animals and an omnipotent god. And we also call ourselves descendants of the dragon.

Dragon pattern from the Warring States period. "Chinese Heritage" November 2016 Photo Editor/Zhu Hao

Before the Yuan Dynasty, dragons basically had three claws, sometimes the front two feet had three claws and the back two feet had four claws. Even further back, in the Zhou Dynasty, the rules were different: the emperor used a five-clawed dragon, the princes had four claws, and the literati and officials below him had three claws.

On the Yuan Dynasty flower-shaped dragon and phoenix patterned jar, there is a three-clawed "dragon"

"Chinese Heritage" November 2016 Photo Editor/Zhu Hao

In the Yuan Dynasty, the Mongols who entered the Central Plains made dragons a royal delicacy and completely monopolized the right to "use dragons". Those who were not royal would be sentenced to prison if they wore dragon and phoenix patterns. However, there are countermeasures for every policy. Dragons have five claws and two horns, so dragon-shaped creatures that do not have five claws and two horns are not "royal dragons", and the people can "take advantage of loopholes". Therefore, we see three-clawed "dragons" on the Yuan blue and white porcelain that is famous both at home and abroad; four-clawed "dragons" can also be used as a symbol of resistance in literati paintings, running freely.

As for the saying that "five claws are dragons, four claws are pythons", it was formed in the Qing Dynasty. It was mainly used to distinguish the patterns on the clothes of the emperor and his subordinates. The emperor wore "dragon robes" and other royal family members and subordinates wore "python robes".

Among the Qing Dynasty dragon robes, the one used by the emperor with the Chinese character "品" shape, nine dragon patterns, twelve chapter patterns and four-open hem decoration is the most representative of the era.

Eight dragons fly among the colorful clouds and hover over the mountains and rivers, full of cultural symbolism. Photo provided by Jia Xizeng, Chinese Heritage, February 2012

Therefore, the Chinese dragon did not have five claws at the beginning, but developed from three claws, four claws to five claws. With the historical exchanges between China and foreign countries, the Chinese dragon culture also spread outward, and combined with local culture to derive different images of the dragon. The Vietnamese dragon, Korean dragon, Japanese dragon, and Indian dragon all have a great relationship with the Chinese dragon. Not only in Asia, but also in Europe and the United States and even all over the world, wherever there are Chinese people, you can see the vigorous figure of the Chinese dragon.

Descendants of the dragon, be proud!

Source: China National Geographic, CCTV4 National Treasure Archives, National Humanities and History