Before the dragon was monopolized by the emperor, all clans and tribes who worshipped the dragon were free to use the image of the dragon without any restrictions. After the dragon became the symbol of emperor and kingship, although its status was further improved, the use of its image was gradually restricted. Especially after the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the dragon pattern was monopolized by the emperor and became the private property of individuals. Ordinary people can't abuse dragon patterns, and they are not allowed to wear clothes with dragon patterns. Only emperors can wear dragon robes and dragons. Because in the eyes of rulers, the emperor is the dragon, and the dragon is the emperor, so some emperors may use dragon patterns. The purpose of restricting the use of dragon patterns is to safeguard the sacredness of emperors and dragons. In the ruler's view, if anyone can wear a dragon robe like an emperor, then there is no distinction between sacredness and vulgarity, and it is difficult to establish the absolute authority of the emperor and consolidate the royal power.
According to the available information, the earliest emperor wearing a dragon robe may be the Emperor of Zhou. However, not only the emperor can wear the dragon Zhou, but also other members of the royal family can wear it. After the Song Dynasty, the restrictions on the use of dragon patterns became stricter, and there were more and more regulations. In the Yuan Dynasty, the monopoly of dragon pattern developed to a new stage, and the scope of use of dragon pattern was clearly defined. Kublai Khan of Yuan Shizu once explicitly ordered that shops in city streets should not weave or sell satin with dragon and phoenix patterns. Offenders will confiscate their satin, "still punishing prisoners' pain." Renzong once decided to convince people with color. Except Mongols, others "are not allowed to write dragons and phoenixes". In addition, dragon and phoenix patterns should not be used for utensils, "yellow dragon and phoenix patterns should not be used for tents" and "dragon and phoenix patterns should not be used for vehicles".
In the Ming Dynasty, the use and control of dragon patterns were strict. In the early Ming Dynasty, the emperor's robes were decorated with twelve chapters, among which the dragon pattern was the most important. In the twenty-fourth year of Hongwu in Ming Taizu, it was clearly stipulated: "The colors of Xuan, Huang and Zi shall not be used in official uniforms and curtains, and dragon and phoenix patterns shall be embroidered. Offenders who dye them will be guilty." The dragon pattern of the Qing emperor's clothing was also customized. According to the draft of Qing history. "Jade Fu Zhi Er" records that the emperor "takes bright yellow in the morning, blue in the sky, red in the morning and white in the evening." Lapels and sleeves are blue, and the edges are gold. Add sea dragons in winter. "
In short, in the eyes of ancient people in China, emperors were all "real dragons", and their descendants were considered as "dragon sons and grandchildren", and their descendants were called "dragon species". Dragons, especially Huanglong, are symbols of the emperor. The emperor is a dragon, and the dragon is an emperor. The two are inseparable, and the dragon became the personal property of the emperor. Everything the emperor eats, wears, lives and uses is marked with dragons. The emperor himself and everything related to him are related to dragons.
As can be seen from the above, in the history of China, the acquisition and consolidation of kingship is closely related to dragons. With the help of the dragon's power, the ancient emperors used people's piety to fabricate all kinds of lies and pretend to be the "true son of heaven", just like the legendary dragon with infinite power.
In fact, in China, the symbolic meaning of the dragon goes far beyond the custom. It has influenced China's architecture, sculpture, painting, calligraphy, literature and many other aspects, and has become an inseparable part of China's traditional culture, and has influenced Southeast Asian countries and regions close to China. Especially with the migration and flow of overseas Chinese in the world, the concept and aesthetic significance of dragon have also spread to all parts of the world.
This year is the first year for mankind to enter the new millennium, and it is also the the Year of the Loong of the lunar calendar in China, so the topic of dragons has aroused people's strong interest. This is not only because dragons occupy a very special position in the traditional culture of China, but also because the Year of the Loong, as the first year of the new millennium, only meets once every three thousand years.
In the Beijing Zoo in the western suburbs of Beijing, the "Dragon Zodiac Culture Popular Science Exhibition" was held. This exhibition includes 25 themes. Organizers collected more than 300 pictures related to dragons, including the Nine Dragon Wall of the Forbidden City in Beijing, the Dragon Column of the Confucius Temple in Qufu, Shandong, the stone pillars of Yungang Grottoes in Datong, Shanxi, the royal bells, folk kites and so on. These photos show all aspects of the dragon image in China's cultural and social life from ancient times to the present. Ren Jihe, an engineer and exhibition manager of Beijing Zoo, said:
"The image of the dragon can be said to be everywhere in China. Dragon culture has a long history, which can be traced back to 10 thousand years ago, and the image of dragon appeared six or seven thousand years ago. Looking at it now, dragon culture is the symbol of the Chinese nation and the embodiment of spiritual strength. For example, China's first stamp, the Dalong stamp, is the image of the dragon. There are also many dragon naming phenomena in China. Like plants, there are dozens of species named after dragons, and there are more place names and names named after dragons. This is a historical origin. "
The knowledgeable engineer said that the dragon, as a favorite image of China people, has been enduring for thousands of years, and has been endowed with spiritual meanings such as auspiciousness, harmony, enterprising, and fearlessness. Nowadays, "descendants of the dragon" has become the word with the most affinity and appeal in China.
At the same time of holding the cultural exhibition of the Dragon Zodiac, the "Special Exhibition of Dragon Culture and Art" held in the China History Museum showed the profound accumulation of the dragon image in China culture with precious historical relics. A dragon composed of clam shells on display here has a history of more than 6000 years. It was excavated in an ancient tomb in Henan, China, and is called "the Yilong of China". There are many exquisite and precious cultural relics on display in the exhibition, ranging from bronzes and jades 3,000 years ago, to dragon robes worn by ancient emperors in China a hundred years ago, royal artworks such as ivory dragon boats and folk dragon lacquerware. In addition, sculptures of contemporary artists are also on display in the exhibition. Kong Xiangxing, director of the Museum of Chinese History, said that the exhibition was not purely academic, but paid full attention to the position and origin of the dragon image in China culture, and combined the long history and reality of dragon culture to show it.
"It should be said that the dragon has a long history and has never stopped in the development of the Chinese nation. In Oracle Bone Inscriptions of Shang Dynasty more than 3,000 years ago, there was the image of a dragon, which is a hieroglyph. In the eyes of ordinary people in China, the dragon is a symbol of traditional culture in China. "
The image of early dragons is similar to fish, snakes, crocodiles, pigs and other animals. It is regarded as a god beast, which can help people realize their wishes. But later, the dragon became more and more auspicious, and the image of the dragon was divorced from the real animal, and many legends and myths were added, so the dragon became a strange animal with many animal characteristics. After the Han Dynasty in the second century BC, the image of the dragon was associated with the imperial power and became the symbol of the royal family. The emperor called himself "the real dragon emperor", and his descendants were called descendants of the dragon. His clothes are called dragon robes, and all his articles depict the image of dragons. In the feudal era after 1000 years, the mystery and authority of the dragon were absolutized and infiltrated into the national ideology. But among the people of China, the dragon has always retained its original symbolic meaning, that is, it represents joy, peace and prosperity. Until today, the image of the dragon has been widely used in the fields of architecture, art, literature, religion, painting, sculpture, clothing, paper-cutting, porcelain and so on, with people's good wishes for the future. It is no exaggeration to say that where China people live, the image of dragons appears in different forms.