| While Europe's shining knights spent their lives slaying | | | | water and sprayed it into the sky. The water fell like |
| dragons, the Chinese sought after and worshiped | | | | raindrops over the crops, and the hopeful people |
| Eastern dragons as the most benevolent, wise, and | | | | leaped with joy. |
| generous of all creatures. Indeed, to be called "dragon | | | | But when the sea god told the Jade Emperor what |
| face" was a great honor, and it was believed that | | | | the dragons had done, the emperor grew very angry. |
| emperors received counsel and aid from dragons in | | | | How dare the dragons rebel against his word! He was |
| times of need. A few emperors even proudly claimed | | | | in charge of all the affairs of heaven, earth, and sea, |
| to be direct descendants of dragons. Pairings between | | | | and did not like his authority to be questioned. The |
| humans and dragons were thought possible, since | | | | dragons were arrested and taken to the heavenly |
| dragons were capable of changing their shape and | | | | palace. Then the Jade Emperor ordered the mountain |
| size to assume whatever form they desired. | | | | god to separate the four dragons in different corners |
| Unlike the fierce western dragons who hoarded | | | | of the country and imprison each under a mountain. |
| treasure and demanded virtuous young women as | | | | The four dragons were unrepentant, and as the |
| sacrifices, the dragons of Chinese legend showed | | | | mountains were pressed upon them they thought of |
| tenderness toward humans, and even acted in their | | | | yet a new way they could help the people. So each |
| behalf many times, sometimes at great cost. This is | | | | dragon transformed itself into a river, winding out of its |
| seen in one of the oldest legends about the Four | | | | mountain prison back to the people and their crops. |
| Dragons. According to this legend, China once had no | | | | The black dragon in the far north became the |
| rivers. The people were dependent on the gods to | | | | Heilongjian, the yellow dragon and the long dragon in |
| send rain for their crops. One year the ruler of the | | | | central China became the Huanghe and the |
| gods, Yu-Huang-Shang-Ti, or the Jade Emperor, did not | | | | Changjiang (Yangtze), and the pearl dragon in the |
| send rain in due season. As the crops began to wither | | | | south became the Zhu. And this, according to legend, is |
| and die, the people turned to the heavens for help. | | | | how the four great rivers in China were formed. |
| In the Eastern Sea lived four dragons which heard the | | | | As in the ancient telling of the four dragons, water and |
| cries of starvation, and were moved with compassion. | | | | rain were often associated with Eastern dragons. It |
| Eagerly they left their comfortable underwater home | | | | was believed at one time that dragons existed in |
| and sought out the mighty Jade Emperor. In behalf of | | | | every storm and pool of water. Although they |
| the starving people below, the dragons pleaded with | | | | sometimes caused severe rains that destroyed |
| the emperor to send rain and save the crops. But the | | | | houses, uprooted trees, and flooded inhabitants, the |
| emperor was not pleased with the dragons and he | | | | Chinese never regarded the dragon as malevolent. |
| refused their request. Ten days passed, and still no rain | | | | Because of the prevalent belief in yin and yang, it was |
| fell. The people were so hungry they were eating bark, | | | | accepted that to reap the benefit of the storm, one |
| grass roots, and white clay. Undeterred by the cruel | | | | had to survive the horror of it. In this way Eastern |
| and selfish emperor, the dragons devised a plan to | | | | dragons were seen as the givers of life while at the |
| create a rainstorm and thus save the villagers. Rushing | | | | same time the cause of great death and destruction. |
| to their home in the Eastern Sea, they scooped up the | | | | |