Liaohe River Valley: Cradle of Chinese Dragon Culture

There is an old Chinese proverb that says, "The dragon raises its head on the second day of the second [lunar] month." It means the Heavenly Dragon King, who is in charge of clouds and rain, will awake from his winter sleep and begin sending rain to earth. In some parts of China, this day -- which fell on February 21 this year -- is known as the Spring Dragon Festival.

For millennia, the dragon has been a vital part of Chinese culture, and the people themselves have long been known as the "descendants of the dragon." The origins of dragon culture remained unclear, however, until recently. Archaeologists have now concluded that the dragon culture originated in the Liaohe River Valley of northeast China.

Although bronzeware decorated with dragon images dating back to the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600- 1100 BC) have been unearthed, they are no longer the oldest dragon icons in China. The artifact now being credited with "senior dragon" status was discovered in the Liaohe River Valley.

In late 2003, Chinese archaeologists found a jade dragon in the Hongshan ruins at Niuheliang, Liaoning Province. It was the fourth to be found at the site, but it proved to be the oldest.

The dragon-shaped jade carving is 26 cm high, with closed mouth and long muzzle. The dragon's two prominent nostrils are uptilted. Its neck sports a long mane and its tail curls up. The shape is very similar to the ancient pictographic character "long" ("dragon") found on oracle bones. Professor Su Bingqi, an archaeologist from Peking University, says it is the oldest jade dragon ever found.

The Hongshan tribes lived in the Liaohe River Valley some 5,000 to 6,000 years ago. Since the jade dragons were unearthed here, others have been found at the Zhaobaogou and Zhahai archeological sites. Although the carved dragons found at these places are not as old as the Hongshan jades, the ruins themselves are 6,000 and 8,000 years old, respectively. Archaeologists feel confident that the dragon culture of the Liaohe River Valley dates back at least 5,000 years.

Guo Dashun, a renowned archaeologist specializing in the Liaohe River Valley, says, "In addition to being very old, the dragon-related articles found in this area also feature diverse forms and clear continuity in development."

The early dragons excavated in the Liaohe River Valley can be divided into eight groups based on age and style. From oldest to newest, they are: placement of stones or other objects to create images; relief, woodcarving, engraving, colored pottery, clay sculpture, jade sculpture and color painting.

The jade dragon excavated in the Liaohe River Valley shows that the concept of the dragon is actually a combination of various animals: pig, deer, bear and bird have been identified. The image of the dragon as we know it today is the result of thousands of years of artistic interpretation.

The Liaohe River flows through northeastern Liaoning and Jilin provinces, eastern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and northern Hebei Province. The valley covers a total area of 345,000 sq km.

The dragon stands as a symbol of auspiciousness and wisdom. In mythology, it was a messenger between humans and gods and a bearer of blessings from heaven to earth. The dragon was endowed with magical abilities to control the wind and rain, to fly through the air and live beneath the sea. Eventually, it became a symbol of the country's seat of power: the imperial throne.