Where did China's mythic 'loong' come from?

Gilded brass loong with Iron core, June 26, 2021, Shaanxi History Museum in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China. [CFP]

The "loong," a mythic figure that resembles what is known in the West as dragon, is a symbol of the Chinese people. And 2024 marks its year on the Chinese zodiac, also known as the Year of the Dragon. 

Chinese people have been proud of the loong since ancient times, believing the immortal creature runs the water system in heaven and on earth and has immense power. Emperors in ancient times believe themselves to be reincarnations of the loong god in order to show their royal legitimacy and keep the general population in awe. Since then, the loong has become an important symbol in Chinese history. But do you know about its origin?

Yangshao period

The Chinese loong culture has a long history. The Yangshao Culture, a civilization uncovered in central China that dates back 5,500 to 7,000 years, is when original loong patterns, such as ichthyosaurs, snake dragons, pig dragons, crocodile dragons, begun to appear. The emergence of these early loong-shaped cultural relics is closely related to nature worship.

The social productivity during this period was low. Primitive religion is prevalent and people believed that "all things have animism." Some plants and animals that were associated with early civilized life or had a deterrent effect became objects of nature worship.

The Liaohe River Basin in northeast China is one of the earliest birthplaces of Chinese jade culture. The original shape of the jade pig loong is a composite of a snake and a pig.

The jade pig loong in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China on December 19, 2021. [CFP]

Longshan-era

The Longshan period, 4,000 to 5,000 years ago, was a critical stage in the formation of Chinese civilization. During this period, cultural exchanges became more frequent. The unique loong patterns in the north and south began to converge, and a fusion of crocodile patterns and snake patterns appeared. This new loong pattern image embodies more spiritual and is closer to a divine loong.

The loong patterns of the Longshan-era are mainly snakes and crocodiles, and also have the characteristics of tigers, fish and other animals. As a symbol of royal power, the loong image has been continuously improved.

Taosi culture is an archaeological culture of the Longshan period, and the maturity of the dragon pattern is an important feature of Taosi culture. Many unearthed painted pottery plates depict dragon patterns of the same form: a loong head shaped like a crocodile with horn-like ornaments on its head.

Pottery plate with loong pattern, 2018, Linfen, Shanxi Province, China [CFP]

Xia and Shang dynasties

During the Xia and Shang dynasties, considered China's earliest dynasties that started about 4,000 years ago, the loong further became a symbol of national formation. The Xia people were an open and tolerant ethnic group. In terms of cultural genes, they not only believed that the loong is their divine ancestor, but also that the loong is closely related to the survival of their own ethnic group.

In 2002, a loong-shaped vessel made of more than 2,000 turquoise pieces of various shapes was discovered at the Erlitou, Henan Province. It consists of a loong head and body.

Turquoise dragon-shaped vessel, November 9, 2023, China Archaeological Museum, Beijing, China. [CFP]

Following the Xia Dynasty, people in the Shang Dynasty had greater enthusiasm for loong belief and buried an astonishing number of bronze vessels in sacrificial tombs. The material and spiritual civilization of the Shang Dynasty made great progress. The religious piety and cultural self-confidence of the Shang people promoted artistic creation.

Bronze statue with dragon and tiger patterns, December 18, 2021, National Museum of China, Beijing, China. [CFP]

On the basis of continuing the original dragon patterns such as snake dragon and crocodile dragon, the loong patterns of this period also had the characteristics of birds, elephants, deer, horses and other animals, making the image more mysterious and gorgeous.

After thousands of years of evolution and integration, the loong eventually sublimated into the spiritual and cultural symbol of the Chinese nation.