Jin Longshou: How to Break Through the "Dragon Culture" Differences between the East and West to Let the World Understand China Better

Interview with Jin Longshou, author of The Legend of the Black Dragon

The "dragon" symbolises auspiciousness in the East, while a "dragon" in the West represents evil. In an exclusive interview with "East Meets West" of the China News Service, the author of The Legend of the Black Dragon, Jin Longshou, explains the historical origins and profound connotations of "dragon culture" and how to break through the "dragon culture" differences between the East and West to tell a good mythological story of the Chinese "dragon".

The summary of the interview is as follows:

CNS: What is the story told in The Legend of the Black Dragon, and why did it take ten years to tell this Chinese mythological story?

Jin Longshou: Dragon culture runs through the development of the Chinese nation and reflects the spiritual connotations of Chinese culture. The legend of the dragon is spread across the land of China, and dragon culture affects the whole country. The myths and legends of dragons have been told in the land of Heilongjiang. In order to tell a good Chinese mythological story, I spent ten years travelling across the land of Heilongjiang, visiting and researching, collecting materials, and aspiring to promote good traditional culture in the form of good storytelling. The Legend of the Black Dragon traces the origin of the name of Heilongjiang, which was formerly known as Bailongjiang (the White Dragon River). In mythology, the White Dragon often made waves so that the villages became destroyed and people suffered greatly. When the Black Dragon witnessed the evil deeds of the White Dragon on earth, he worked together with the people and rose against the White Dragon, defeating it in one fell swoop. In the end, the Black Dragon revealed its original form as a god and gave its body to the land, so the people changed the name from "White Dragon River" to "Black Dragon River", namely Heilongjiang, to commemorate this.

The Heilong River Valley in Heihe. Photo by Zhang Hui, China News Service

CNS: What has the development of "Chinese dragon culture" consisted of, and how is it related to the development of the Chinese civilisation?

Jin Longshou: Chinese scholars have different views on the origin and development of dragon culture. Most of them believe that dragon culture has gone through the development of worship consciousness, such as totemism, deity worship, and the imperial cult. Many cultural relics and sites have vividly depicted dragon culture. China has handed down its ancient culture, and the dragon culture is inextricably linked to the development of the Chinese civilisation in several ways: participation, integration, symbolisation, inheritance, and leadership.

"Participation" refers to dragon culture being involved in the origins of Chinese civilisation, and dragons being present in every period of history.

"Integration" refers to the fact that dragon culture has witnessed and integrated different ideas over different periods of the Chinese civilisation's development.

"Symbolisation" refers to the fact that the "dragon" has gradually become an irreplaceable symbol in the development of Chinese civilisation; dragon culture is Chinese culture, and the Chinese people are the heirs of the dragon.

"Inheritance" refers to the fact that dragon culture carries and passes down the national spirit that has accumulated over thousands of years. It is united, harmonious, tolerant, innovative, and self-improving, with endless cohesiveness, always inspiring Chinese people to be kind, generous, and indomitable, and to strive and climb to the top.

"Leadership" means that in the future, dragon culture will continue to accompany the Chinese people to go higher and further. The outlook of harmonious development, the national spirit of unity and solidarity, the values of common prosperity, and the cosmic view of a community with a shared future for mankind, which are closely linked to dragon culture, will lead China to achieve common prosperity, long-term peace, a flourishing future, and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

"Chinese dragon" and the photoelectric fireworks show. Photo by Liu Zhongjun, China News Service

CNS: What is the difference between the cultural connotations of the Chinese and Western dragon, and what is the reason for this different attitude?

Jin Longshou: Chinese dragons originate from mythology and are spiritual and mysterious creatures with the body of a snake, the scales of a fish, and the horns of a deer. In the Book of Changes, it is said that "Nine in the fifth place means: Flying dragon in the heavens". The ancients believed that the dragon was the lord of the wind and rain, and that "the true son of the dragon" was a synonym for the ancient emperor. In the ancient Chinese constellation, among the four deities guarding the four directions of east, west, south, and north, one is the Azure Dragon, a kind of dragon. In the Three Graves, it is said that "the dragon is good at change and can cause clouds and rain, so it is also a ruler". In folklore, the dragon signifies good luck and good weather; Wang Anshi's Dragon Fu (A Poetic Exposition of the Dragon) uses the dragon as a metaphor for virtue, suggesting that the dragon enlightens the wisdom and virtue of the people.

The word "dragon" in English translates to long 龙 in Chinese, but the meaning is completely different from that of the Chinese dragon. "The word 'dragon' is derived from the Old French word 'dragon', which is derived from the Latin word 'draconem', meaning a huge serpent. In Western culture, the earliest images of dragons come from The Bible, which describes a large red dragon, shown in an evil light, as the incarnation of the devil Satan. In Beowulf, the main character Beowulf fights a fire-breathing, dragon-like monster, continuing the demonic, sinful symbolism of the dragon in Christianity. Thus, the dragon is slain by the hero in Western mythology.

In addition, China and the West have ideological differences. Due to their geographical environment and development, Western countries tend to demonise natural or other forces to manifest and realise individual heroism. In Chinese culture, on the other hand, the emphasis is on collectivism, the acceptance of diversity, benevolence, and harmony in mind. Furthermore, traditional Chinese culture teaches us to find goodness and beauty and to be grateful. The dragon, therefore, symbolises the hardworking, kind, and tolerant worldview of the Chinese people.

CNS: How is "dragon culture" reflected in Chinese society? How has the world's recognition of Chinese "dragon culture" changed as cultural exchanges between China and the West have intensified?

Jin Longshou: Dragon culture is rooted in China's excellent traditional culture and can be found everywhere.

Firstly, traditional festivals and folklore are derived from the Chinese dragon, such as the "Dragon Raising Its Head" on the second day of the second month of the Chinese lunar calendar, dragon boat racing at the Dragon Boat Festival, and dragon boat festivals and dragon worship festivals of ethnic minorities. The dragon of the twelve Chinese zodiac signs is the only one that does not exist in reality and is a sacred mascot in China.

Secondly, the dragon totem is also the carrier of the dragon culture passed down for thousands of years. From the patterns on jade, pottery, paintings, and carvings from various periods in ancient China to the works created by modern artists, no matter how society develops and how the world changes, the dragon totem will always be a great and respectful symbol in the minds of the Chinese people, and dragon culture is rooted in the mind of every Chinese, as the fundamental source of pride and responsibility for the Chinese nation. In addition, the dragon culture is also vividly reflected in the Chinese language. For example, we have the idioms like "Vigorous as Dragon and Horse", "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", "Prosperity Brought by the Dragon and Phoenix", and "Expecting Children as Great as Dragons", and the character "龙" is also commonly used by Chinese parents to name their children. The "龙" in my brother's name and mine is a symbol of my parents' good expectations.

Along with the deepening cultural exchange between China and the West, the understanding of dragon culture is gradually changing worldwide. The fact that foreigners have developed from knowing nothing to being curious and now recognise and love dragon culture reflects the charm and value of Chinese dragon culture. This is also due to the spread of Chinese dragon culture among overseas Chinese, which reflects the patriotic sentiments of Chinese people and their sense of mission and responsibility as "heirs of the dragon".

The Gulf Coast International Dragon Boat Regatta in Houston, USA. Photo by Wang Huan, China News Service

CNS: How can the misconceptions about Chinese dragon culture in the West be dispelled?

Jin Longshou: Westerners' misunderstanding of Chinese dragon culture stems from the difference in cultural symbolism and spiritual connotation. Some experts and scholars have proposed translating the word "dragon" into "long" instead of "dragon" to recreate the image of the Chinese dragon.

In addition, we need to tell good Chinese mythological stories, especially the mythology of dragon culture, to promote the excellent Chinese traditional culture and human history to the world so that they can know and understand Chinese traditional culture.

CNS: What is the significance of Eileen Gu sharing Chinese dragon culture with the world by printing "Chinese dragons" on her ski suit?

Jin Longshou: In the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Eileen Gu can be said to be the walking "spokesperson" for Chinese dragon culture. Before and after the games, Chinese food such as baozi, Peking duck, and leek turnover have become a hot topic of public discussions, and foreign friends have been salivating through her presentations, which is a vivid promotion of Chinese food culture. In addition, her ski suit, snowboard, and helmet featured her own design of a Chinese dragon, as well as Chinese red, auspicious clouds and the English expression "dragon among people", which, she said, was to let the world see and understand Chinese culture.

China's Eileen Gu competed in a ski suit with a golden dragon pattern. Photo by Mao Jianjun, China News Service

In the Winter Olympic Games arena, she achieved two gold and one silver, showing the qualities of Chinese people who want to embrace the world, share solidarity and friendship, strive indefatigably, be courageous and confident, and climb to the top. She said she was a bridge between China and the United States, which is an interpretation of the Chinese dragon culture of accepting diversity, peaceful development, and building a community with a shared future for mankind. I hope there will be more "spokespersons" of Chinese dragon culture like her, and I believe the world will have more objective evaluations of China.

Profile of the Interviewee:

Jin Longshou is a member of the Heilongjiang Writers Association and the author of The Legend of the Black Dragon. Currently, Jin Longshou is working on the English translation of The Legend of the Black Dragon and is involved in the preparation of an animated film based on it.

[Editor: Liu Huan]