Incense
Burner:
Incense burner
is used as a decoration placed in
the royal family. The incense burner
have the ventilate and absorb ability,
so it can get rid of the peculiar
smelled impurity of the incense
make the house smells aromatic.
It will bring
you health and prevent the evil
from coming in.
Dragon
and the phoenix
The dragon
and the phoenix are the principal
motifs for decorative designs on
the buildings, clothing and articles
of daily use in the imperial palace.
Belief in the dragon, and drawings
of the imaginary animal, can be
traced back to primitive society
when certain prehistoric tribes
in China adopted the dragon among
other totems as their symbol and
guardian god. Some of the recently
unearthed bronze vessels of the
Yin Dynasty, which existed more
than 3,000 years ago, are decorated
with sketches of dragons of a crude
form. Earliest legends in China
described the dragon as a miraculous
animal with fish scales and long
beards. As time went on, it became
more and more embellished in the
minds of the people, acquiring the
antlers of the deer, the mane of
the horse and the claws of the eagle
-- in short, appropriating the distinctive
features of other creatures until
it became what we see today everywhere
in the palace.
The Chinese
phoenix, likewise, exists only in
legends and fairy tales. Sovereign
of all birds, it has the head of
the golden pheasant, the beak of
the parrot, the body of the mandarin
duck, the wings of the roc, the
feathers of the peacock and the
legs of the crane; gloriously beautiful,
it reigns over the feathered world.
An early design of the phoenix can
be seen on the silk painting discovered
in a tomb of the Warring States
Period (475-221 B.C.) near Changsha
in Hunan Province.
The dragon
and the phoenix often served in
classical art and literature as
metaphors for people of high virtue
and rare talent or, in certain combinations,
for matrimonial harmony or happy
marriage. As an important part of
folk arts, dragon lanterns, dragon
boats, dragon and phoenix dances
are still highly popular on festivals
among the people of all localities.
Chinese
Dragon Legends
Legend
of the Yellow Emperor
Some scholars report that the Huang
Di (Yellow Emperor) used a snake
for his coat of arms. Every time
he conquered another tribe, he incorporated
his defeated enemy's emblem into
his own. Huang Di was immortalized
into a dragon that looks like his
emblem. That explains why the Chinese
dragon has a body of a snake; the
scales and tail of a fish; the antlers
of a deer; the face of a qilin (a
deer-like mythical creature with
fire all over its body); and two
pairs of talons of eagles; and the
eyes of a demon. They fly in the
sky among the clouds. Almost all
pictures of Chinese dragons show
them playing with a flaming pearl.
Supposedly it is the pearl that
gives them their power and allows
them to ascend to heaven. Chinese
dragons are occasionally depicted
with bat-like wings grown out of
the front limbs, but most do not
have wings.
Also, since
the Chinese consider Huang Di as
their ancestor, they sometimes refer
to themselves as "the descendants
of the dragons".
Legend
of the carp
Another legend says that a carp
able to leap over the mythical "Dragon
Gate" would become a dragon.
Several waterfalls and cataracts
in China are believed to be the
location of the Dragon Gate. This
legend is an allegory for the drive
and effort needed to overcome obstacles.
Symbol
of the emperor
The dragon was a symbol for the
emperor in many Chinese dynasties.
The imperial throne was called the
dragon throne. During the late Qing
dynasty, the dragon was even adopted
as the national flag. It was a capital
offense for commoners to wear clothes
with a dragon symbol.
In some Chinese
legends, an emperor might be born
with a birthmark in the shape of
a dragon. For example, one legend
might tell the tale of a peasant
born with a dragon birthmark that
eventually overthrows the existing
dynasty and founds a new one; another
legend might tell of the prince
in hiding from his enemies, who
is identified by his dragon birthmark.
The empress
was often identified with the phoenix.
Dragons
and Water
Chinese dragons
are strongly associated with water
in popular belief. They are believed
to be the rulers of moving bodies
of water, such as waterfalls, rivers,
or seas. They can show themselves
as water spouts (tornado or twister
over water). There are four major
dragons, one representing each sea.
For instance the Dragon King of
the Eastern Sea, Dragon King of
the Western Sea, and so forth.
Because of
this association, they are seen
as "in charge" of water-related
weather phenomenon. In pre-modern
times, many Chinese villages (especially
those living close to rivers) had
temples dedicated to their local
"dragon king." In times
of drought or flooding, it was customary
for the local gentry and government
officials to lead the community
in offering sacrifices and conducting
other religious rites to appease
the dragon, either to ask for rain
or a cessation thereof.
Back to home page.jpg)
) 
ExoticTibet Online Shop
Print
Report item
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
and your 