Dragon is a deified animal worshipped by the Chinese people from the time immemorial。But what is it？No one knows。
Some people think that the Yanzi crocodile is the archetype of the dragon。However，most people hold that dragon is a combination of many animals。And the abilities of those animals have been connected to it。Wang Chong，a scholar of Han dynasty，once pointed that dragon is a mythological creature，with the head of a camel or horse or snake，the horns of a deer，the eyes of a rabbit，the ears of a cow，the neck and body of a snake，the belly of a kind of huge clam，the scales of a carp，the claws of a hawk，the palm of a tiger，whiskers and a beard。
Among the unearthed cultural relics which have the history of more than five thousand years are Jade pig dragon and Jade dragon。They are much simpler than the dragon today。We can imagine people had added more characteristics to it after the Jade dragon having been created。Then it turned to the dragon that we gradually know now。
Why did ancient Chinese people want to create a dragon？Many scholars think that it originated from the worship to animals。In remote antiquity the main human activity was hunting。So animals were what people were most interested in。Ancient people had to survive from hunting animals which were the main food for them and also had to dodge the attacks which were the threats to their lives from fierce animals。In the course of those activities，worships and fancies to the special abilities of those animals including flying in the sky，swimming in the river，walking without feet and hibernating etc。were originated。They put the special abilities together and created the dragon whose power was beyond all other animals。They made dragon a deity and worshiped it thereafter。
Later，dragon became the symbol of power and monarch。Now it is the symbol of the whole Chinese people。
龙是中华民族自上古以来一直崇尚的神异动物。但是，它到底是什么呢？至今没人能解释清楚。
有人认为龙的原型是扬子鳄。但更多的人认为龙是多种动物的综合体，集中了多种动物的神通和特长。汉代学者王充就曾指出过，龙是一种想象出来的生物，头部似骆驼或马或蛇，角似鹿，眼似兔子，耳似牛，脖子和身体似蛇，腹似蜃，鳞似鲤鱼，爪似鹰，掌似虎，还有着胡须和腮须。
在出土的五千年以前的文物中，人们发现了“玉猪龙”和“玉雕龙”。它们的形象比现在的龙的形象简单许多。可以想象在其以后的漫长岁月里，人们将更多的动物特征赋予了龙，逐渐地形成了今天我们看到的龙的形象。
那么，中国古代的先民们为什么要创造出龙的形象呢？很多学者认为是源于对动物的崇拜。在远古时期，狩猎是人类最主要的活动。因而动物是人类在自然界中最感兴趣的对象。原始人要靠捕捉动物果腹，还要躲避那些对自己生命构成威胁的凶猛动物的袭击。在这个过程中，原始人对某些动物的奇异的能力，如可以翱翔于天空、潜游于水底，可以无足而行，可以蛰伏而居等，产生了崇拜和幻想。于是他们把那些奇异的能力综合在一起创造出了能力盖过所有其它动物的龙，对它顶礼膜拜，把它推到神的地位。
后来，龙成了权力和帝王的象征。再后来，龙成了整个中华民族的象征。
It is wrong to translate loong as dragon in English。In fact，loong is so different in nature from dragons that it may be more reasonable to consider them as dissimilar creatures，rather than as the same creature interpreted differently。The word loong was created on the base of the pronunciation of its counterpart character in Chinese at least 60 years ago。Loong has no wings。But Ying Loong has wings。Loong will become Ying Loong after a one-thousand-year's self-tempering。Loong is generally regarded as benevolent，powerful，worshipful and lucky。It is thought as the source of wind and rain。
The earliest artwork of loong ever discovered was built in China about 6，000 years ago。It is a sculpture of loong made by heaping shells of clam。Loong used to be the symbol of Chinese emperors。Now it stands for luck，happiness and power by ordinary Chinese people。Loong is a part of Chinese culture。It is the symbol of the Chinese nation。Loong is a spiritual tie linking the Chinese people to people all over the world。Chinese people are proud to call themselves“the offspring of the Loong”。The famous Chinese Kung Fu star Bruce Lee's Chinese name is Lee Sui Loong，written in English。“Siu Loong”is the pronunciation of“a little loong”in Chinese，and means a strong and smart boy。
把龙翻译为dragon 是错误的。实际上，龙和dragon 在性质上的差异非常大，把它们理解成不同的生物，更加合理。它们不是相同的生物的两种不同解释。至少六十年前，Loong 这个单词根据它在中文里的对应汉字“龙”的发音创造出来了。龙没有翅膀，但是应龙有翅膀。龙经过一千年的修炼可以变成应龙。龙一般被认为是瑞兽，拥有巨大的力量，尊贵、吉祥。龙被认为是风和雨的制造者。
迄今为止所发现的龙的艺术品中，最早的是六千年前在中国建造的一座用蚌壳堆造而成的雕塑。龙曾经被中国皇帝用作自己的象征。现在它被普通中国人作为吉祥、幸福和力量的象征。
龙是中国文化的一部分，是中国的象征，是连接全世界华人的精神纽带。中国人自豪地称自己是“龙的传人”。著名的华裔功夫明星李小龙的名字翻译成英文时，其中的“龙”字被写为Loong。“小龙”的意思是“健壮机灵的孩子”。
背景知识——中国龙
Different Cultural Connotation of Dragon
Dragon，an animal only found in the fairy tale，stands for atrocious and evil in English。However，in Chinese，dragon is an animal that can give people blessedness。
In English，dragon stands for the Satan in Bible。The dragonish woman also is called“dragon”in English。For example：She is a real dragon，you had better keep away from her。We can see westerners do not like dragon at all from these examples。However，it is opposite in China。Dragon stands for propitious，authority，and rareness in Chinese。In feudal society，the dragon stands for the monarch。
Nowadays，dragon still has a high position in Chinese mind and they think they are the generation of dragon（Dragon stands for propitious in China）。Dragon becomes a national totem。There are a lot of idioms about dragon in China。These idioms are all similar。
For example：“望子成龙”（to hope one's son grows up to a man as able as a dragon。）which sounds ridiculous to English-speaking people；“龙子龙孙”（the sons and grandsons of dragon），which are usually used to call oneself by Chinese people。
不同文化背景下“龙”的涵义
龙，是只在神话故事中出现的动物，在英文中是邪恶的代表。然而中国文化里，龙是为人类造福的动物。
在英语文化中，龙在圣经中是撒旦的化身。一个“泼妇”在英语里也用“龙”这个词形容。例如：她真是一个泼妇，你最好离她远点。从以上所有这些例子中我们可以看出西方人不喜欢龙。然而在中国文化中，刚好相反，龙是吉祥，权威和稀贵的象征。在封建社会，龙是君主帝王的象征。
现在，龙在中国人的心目中依然有很崇高的地位。他们认为他们是龙的传人。龙成为了民族图腾。在中国有很多关于龙的成语，这些成语都非常相似。
例如：“望子成龙”（即希望一个人的儿子有光明的前途），对英语文化背景的人来说却很荒唐。中国人经常用“龙子龙孙”来形容自己。