Dragon Lineage -- The Emergence of the Chinese Spiritual “Totem”

The Chinese people refer to themselves as “progeny of the dragon.” Dragon culture consciousness is an important aspect of traditional Chinese culture and has deep roots in the national heritage. Undoubtedly， the dragon is the “totem” of the Chinese nation， the soul of the Chinese people， and a source of pride. When did the concept of the dragon emerge in China？ In ancient Chinese literature， legends of the dragon appeared very early. The Chronicles of Emperors states that Shen Nong surnamed Jiang， was conceived by his mother， Ren Si， during a visit to Huayang， where she encountered the deity with a dragon head. She became pregnant and gave birth to Shen Nong， also known as Emperor Yan. The Records of the Grand Historian records a mythological story that after Emperor Huang cast the tripod cauldron under Jing Mountain， he ascended to heaven riding on a dragon. The “Creation Chapter” in the Chu Silk Manuscripts unearthed from the Chu tomb in Changsha during the Warring States Period states that during the chaotic period of the prehistoric universe before the earth took shape， the great being Fuxi was born， initiating the act of creation， and the great being is of the Dragon lineage. These aforementioned legends in the literature form the basis for us， the Chinese people， to call ourselves “the progeny of the dragon.”

A Brief History of “Dragon Lineage”

How far back can we trace the physical evidence of dragons in China？ Since the Qin and Han dynasties， the image of the Chinese dragon has been well-established， and there are numerous depictions and artifacts related to the Chinese dragon. The development of “dragon lineage” has a clear trajectory. The main elements of a dragon include a tiger’s head， deer’s antlers， a snake’s body， and a crocodile’s claws. On the bronze vessels of the Shang and Zhou dynasties， the fantastical creature with a snake’s body and antlers is known as the “kui-dragon pattern” or “dragon pattern.” The kui-dragon pattern is often portrayed in a side profile， with the body of a snake and the head of a tiger， an open mouth， one antler， one foot， and a tail curled upward. Various variations of this design can be seen. The dragon pattern， likewise， features a snake’s body and a tiger’s head， but often with double antlers and no feet， while some dragon patterns depict a dragon as two bodies sharing one head. The antlers of the kui dragon and dragon patterns on Shang and Zhou bronze vessels are not deer antlers but rather shaped like oyster mushrooms. The character for “dragon” in oracle bone inscriptions and bronze inscriptions also depicts these kinds of antlers， with the dragon’s head symbolized by an inverted triangle and a body of a snake. The dragon images found in some bronze inscriptions of clan emblems are even closer to the kui-dragon pattern on bronze vessels. This indicates that the kui-dragon pattern and dragon pattern identified by bronze experts truly represent the imagery of the character “dragon” in oracle bone inscriptions and bronze inscriptions. The Erlitou site in Yanshi， Henan Province， has yielded numerous dragon artifacts， such as large turquoise dragon-shaped objects， bronze plaques with inlaid turquoise animal face patterns， clay sculptures of dragons （and snakes）， carved dragon images on pottery， and dragon-patterned decorations on pottery. Tracing the origins of dragon imagery at the Erlitou site leads back to the coiled dragon image found in the dragon plates at the Taosi site.

The Taosi Site and the “China” in Yao and Shun

When it comes to the Taosi site in Xiangfen County， Shanxi Province， it is of great significance. Dating back 4，300 to 3，900 years ago， the Taosi site evolved from an early urban settlement covering 200，000 square meters into a large metropolis spanning at least 2.8 million square meters. It was an important site for the formation of early states and the core of Chinese civilization. Within the city， there are palace areas， lower noble residential areas， royal tombs， ritual architecture zones， treasury and storage areas， state-controlled handicraft zones， and ordinary residential areas， making it a pre-Qin period city with well-defined functional areas. Based on over 40 years of archaeological excavation and research at the Taosi site， scholars have initially established a relatively complete chain of evidence， consistently pointing to any assumptions that the Taosi site was Pingyang city， the capital city where Yao resided. The emphasis on the “chain of evidence” is because archaeology can be considered the “forensic science” of the field of human history. The archaeological artifacts unearthed from underground， referred to as remains and relics by archaeologists， are fragmented， damaged， and inherently flawed pieces of evidence that archaeologists need to interpret， like reading a sealed book. Unfortunately， these interpretations are often difficult to verify. Therefore， the conclusions drawn from archaeological research require consistent evidence to judge their validity. Today， let us play the role of archaeological detectives and embark on a bold and exhilarating journey of exploration.

How the Astonishing Dragon Plates Were Used

After being fired， the coiled dragons unearthed from the Taosi site were painted inside ceramic plates. These ceramic plates are known as “dragon plates，” and there are a total of four of them， all found in early royal tombs （dating back 4，300--4，100 years ago）. In theory， they should be quite precious. But how were these dragon plates used？ Were they used as utensils for the king’s meals or for handwashing？ Let’s explore the background and relationships associated with these dragon plates to find out.

In Tomb 3016， a painted dragon plate， a pair of large-mouth jars and a single-handled small jar were found together， clearly forming a set of washing utensils. The liquid was scooped from the large-mouth jar using the single-handled small jar for handwashing， and the ceramic plate collected the water. Among Chinese bronze vessels， plates are typically seen as “receiving plates” used to collect water during pouring and handwashing rituals. Prior to the Xia and Shang dynasties， wooden or ceramic plates were predominantly used， while during the Shang and Zhou dynasties， bronze plates became the standard washing utensils. Starting in the late Western Zhou Dynasty， the bronze yi （wash basin） was paired with a bronze plate to become a lavatory set. They became prominent during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period， primarily used by nobles for daily washing and hand-cleansing before ceremonies. In the mid-Western Zhou period， a new combination of bronze “hé” （three-legged pot） and plate emerged， and the “hé” was no longer used as a wine vessel but instead acquired a new name， “ying.”

However， there seem to be some issues regarding the function of the dragon plates from Tomb No. 3016 as a daily washing utensil for Taosi’s king.

Firstly， let’s discuss the function of painted ceramics at the Taosi site. Painted ceramics from the site mainly come from aristocratic tombs， with a few fragments found within the palace area. They are exquisite low-temperature ceramics fired at around 600℃， making them almost unsuitable for daily use. Although the painted designs are exquisite， they were applied to the surface of the ceramics after firing using mineral pigments such as cinnabar， red iron ore， malachite， and chalk. The adhesion of these decorative patterns is very low， and even slight friction can cause them to fade away. Therefore， they could not be used for an extended period. This technique of painting the ceramics after firing is fundamentally different from the well-known technique of painted ceramics. Conventional painted ceramics involve drawing patterns on the clay before firing， compressing the pigments into the body of the vessel， and then firing the vessel， resulting in patterns that are not easily erased. The major difference between these two kinds of painted ceramics lies in the fact that the former serves as a symbolic or ceremonial object and is not suitable for everyday use， while the latter can be used for both ceremonial rituals and daily life. From this perspective， the dragon plate from Tomb 3016 at the Taosi site is by no means a king’s daily washing utensil but a symbolic washing utensil used for ceremonial purposes at most.

Secondly， in terms of the importance of the usage behavior， even if the dragon plate was considered a symbolic washing utensil for royal ceremonies， it was only a part of the handwashing ritual before the main ceremony. It was by no means a core ritual or sacrificial object. For example， during the Shang-Zhou period， bronze plates and yi sets were considered “marginalized” objects among the bronze ritual vessels. They held a much lower status compared to core ritual vessels such as gu， jue， jia， ding， gui， and dou. However， the decoration on Taosi’s dragon plates stands out as an exceptional masterpiece within the painted ceramics of the Taosi culture. This is because， firstly， the Taosi-painted ceramics are already extremely rare among the vast number of ceramics， and apart from the coiled dragons on the dragon plates， the patterns on other ceramics are all intricate or simple geometric designs.

The exquisitely and intricately painted coiled dragons on the painted dragon plates are truly eye-catching among the scarce painted ceramics of the Taosi. Secondly， Taosi did not emphasize idol worship， and its decorative art was severely lacking in human and animal figures， with only a small number of variations of flowers and plants.

This is a major characteristic of the religious beliefs at Taosi.

Because idol worship held little significance in the religious beliefs of Taosi， using the dragon plate for handwashing before ceremonies seemed appropriate. The combination of washing utensils such as the painted pottery pot， small-mouthed folding-shoulder jar， folding-bellied jar， and the dragon plate in the southeast corner of the burial chamber， appears to be marginalized ritual objects. However， it is remarkable that the pottery drums and pottery jue among the core ritual objects have no painted decorations， whereas the dragon plate’s painted design is stunning. This seems to create a paradox： from the perspective of the importance of handwashing behavior， the dragon plate has a low ceremonial status， but from the perspective of the highest level of painted decorative art， the dragon plate stands out with a unique ceremonial status. This paradox indicates that interpreting the function of the Taosi dragon plates solely based on their usage as washing utensils may lead to misconceptions. In the Taosi people’s understanding， the function and status of the dragon plates， as well as the level of their painted decoration， must be consistent and harmonious， without contradiction.

The Story of China in Ten Cultural Relics

Editted by Chinese Academy of History， Gong Wen， et al.

China Social Sciences Press

October 2022

98.00 （CNY）

Chinese Academy of History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

Established on January 3， 2019， the Chinese Academy of History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences is the first national-level comprehensive research institution for historical studies formed since the establishment of the People’s Republic of China.