| 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.
Chinese Dragon:
The Chinese dragon (Traditional Chinese:
龍; Simplified Chinese: 龙; pinyin: lóng Cantonese: loong; Hokkien:
dieng, leng) is a mythical creature. Long a potent symbol of auspicious
power in Chinese folklore and art, it is the embodiment of the concept
of yang and associated with the weather and water as the bringer
of rain.
The dragon is sometimes in the West viewed
as a national emblem of China. However, this usage within both the
People's Republic of China and the Republic of China on Taiwan is
extremely rare, both because the dragon has monarchist connotations
which run counter to recent Chinese ideologies and because the dragon
has aggressive, warlike connotations which Chinese governments dislike.
It is for the latter reason that the giant panda is far more often
used within China as a national emblem than the Chinese dragon.
However even though Dragon lost it symbol
as China, it is still a respected creature in Chinese cultural daily
life. It is a taboo to disfigure a depiction of Dragon, for example
when U.S sportswear giant Nike made an advert campaign for their
brands, a basketball player is shown slaying a Dragon (amongst beating
up an old Kung Fu master). This advert was banned immediately from
the Chinese government after public outcry for disrespect of the
Dragon.
Also a lot of Chinese proverbs and idioms
still use Dragons, one example "Looking forward their child
turn to a Dragon".
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.
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