飞龙兮翩翩

Flying Loongs in Elegant Style

在中国传统的神奇动物中,龙无疑是最受宠遇的一种。其出现之早,几乎与中华文明同步,其应用之广,举凡物质精神各类文化产品中皆可觅见;可用于标识岁时,是十二生肖中唯一入选的非现实生物,亦用以确定方位,是守护东方的专门神灵;而在文化观念上,更是中华民族的符号和象征,遍布全球的华人族裔都认同自己是“龙的传人”,异族友邦也理所当然地将中国视作东方的巨龙。

On one hand,loong is not only a symbol of the emperors with paramount status,but also a reasonable expression theme of all imperial objects,presenting an image of majesty and nobility.On the other hand,loong is still regarded as a god for protecting the worldwide people and controlling the forces of the Nature,which is worshipped by the common people in daily life.Loong often looks lively and joyful in dragon boat racing,dragon lantern dance,dragon king worshipping and other folk customs and cultures.Loong is also the most popular auspicious theme in a variety of folk crafts,such as traditional new year pictures,paper cutting,clay sculpture and shadow play.