The Nine Sons of the Dragon

Dragons in China are commonly called loong– they are no longer the fearsome， tyrannous and fire-breathing flying reptiles in the western legends. In Chinese fairy tales， they have a serpent-like body covered with scales and supported with four legs. The dragons are usually blessed by great power and inconsiderable magic， making them one of the strongest and most respected creatures in the Chinese legend.

There are so many legends about dragon in China， each telling a different story of the dragons origination. One popular story tells that the first dragon – and presumably the most powerful one – in the world is a black dragon that came out when the goddess Nuwa mended the broken hole of the sky caused by the clashes of two primal deities. The black dragon can wield the water and wind easily. She helped Nuwa mend the sky and served the goddess by doing a lot of favors.

There are more stories about the dragons development and life. As the most known legendary creature in Chinas mythological system， the dragon is related to many other fairy creatures in China. The dragons are said to be their siblings， mentors and， above all， teachers.

It is said that the dragon gave birth to nine sons， but her descendents are not dragons at all. They are different creatures with different abilities. This further added mystery to the most mysterious creature in China.

Since the dragon is considered to be the most powerful creature in Chinas myths and the symbol of the regal rights， the nine sons also carry different functions and represent different things in the legendary tales. All of them are considered to be the symbols of auspice and could protect a certain group of people or certain places.

Like the originations and stories of the dragon， there were various sayings about the nine sons of the dragon， most of which concentrated on one question： which are the nine sons of the dragon.

As the time developed， there are several groups gradually winning the upper hand. About 16 legendary creatures are added into the list in different orders.

The most accepted saying named Qiu Niu as the eldest son of the dragon. Bearing a dragon head and a serpent-like body （without feet）， Qiu Niu is described as the mildest one of the dragons nine sons. He does not like killing or battling but hold deep fondness of the music. In the legend， Qiu Niu has a pair of super-sensitive ears that could distinguish every voice in the world. It usually rests on the musical instrument to hear the melodies from the player. Therefore， the carving of Niu Qiu can usually be found at the head of musical instruction. Since it has a dragon head， many people thought it to be a dragon-head carving.endprint

This tradition is carried on till today. Some precious and high-end huqin （a traditional musical instrument in China） and are thus called the Dragon-Head Huqin. In some minority ethnic groups of china， the carvings of Qiu Niu could be also found in their musical instruments.

Ya Zi， the second eldest son of the dragon， is said to be born with a dragon head and a jackal body. Different from his elder brother， Ya Zi is hot-tempered， fiery and always willing to fight. He was described as the Ares among his brethrens. He could be easily angered and locked is enemies with deadly eyes. His reputed fondness of war and skills in killing made him a typical symbol for the weapons. The carving of Ya Zi could be found in the joint part of the blade and handle， which increased the value and deterrence of the weapon. In addition， the royal guards in ancient time usually carried the weapon decorated with the patterns of Ya Zi， augmenting the grandeur and solemnity of the royal family. Moreover， the emperors of that time believed that Ya Zi could overwhelm anything evil.

The third son， Chao Feng， is an adventurous type. He has good eyesight that can see through many things from the distance. Therefore， he was appointed to guard mens house for he usually stood on the corner of the eaves of traditional Chinese houses. His name， which means “facing the wind”， also shows his devotion to adventure.

Pu Lao is the fourth son and resembles his parent most， even though he always coiled his body. He is good at and loves roaring， using the sound that can penetrate into the sky as its weapon. Because of that， ancient Chinese people carved the images of Pu Lao on the bells， hoping that the sound of bells was loud enough to be heard by people from a long distance. In China， the decorations in the shape of Pu Lao could be found in every bell more than 100 years old.

The fifth son is called Suan Ni. It resembles a lion and thus is called Gold Lion or Sacred Lion. It bears a vicious look but his mood is contrarily mild. He prefers staying in one place to moving about and his favorite food is the smoke generated from burning incense. Because of that， the incense burners at the Buddhist temples are usually carved into the shape of Suan Ni. The legend about Suan Ni came from India along with the Buddhism. After being changed by Chinese artisans， it was given the familiar image in the present time and given an important task– to guard the doors of men.endprint

Ba Xia， also known as Bi Xi， is the sixth son of the dragon. It is a creature with a dragon head and a turtle body. He is good at carrying a huge load. Nowadays， we can still see a sculpture of a turtle-dragon animal carrying a thing – usually a stele. It was said that Ba Xia carried the big mountains in ancient times and made waves in the lakes and rivers， causing great flood. Later， Da Yu， one of the greatest ancient lords in China， tamed him and used Ba Xia to deal with the flood.

Bi An is the tiger-shaped seventh son of the dragon. He represents the justice and equality while possessing unparalleled power. In addition， he is very wise and could see lies easily. Therefore， it became a common symbol for the court in ancient China. The sculptures of Bi An could be found at the front gate of the court or hung in the main hall. The runners of the court usually wear the hat with the symbols of Bi An.

Fu Xi， the second youngest son of the dragon， has a dragon head and a lion body. In spite of its powerful look， it is a master of calligraphy and bears the pseudonym as “Dragon of Literatures”. The stone steles in ancient China are usually flanked and decorated by Fu Xi.

The youngest son is named Chi Wen， a creature with a dragon head and a fish body. Its image is based on a kind of legendary fish in the Buddhism. It is said that it can breathe water that can quench any fire instantly. Therefore， people usually have its sculptures embedded into their houses for fire prevention and many fountains， no matter they are old or modern， are carved into the shape of Chi Wen with the water gushed out of their mouths.endprint