If you go to any tattoo parlor to get ideas for the kind of tattoo you might get, its easy to notice the prevalence of dragons in the designs. But if you did some research or inquired a bit more, you would find out that the dragon tattoo designs you are most commonly seeing date back centuries into Chinese culture and come to us from that very old Asian country.
To us in western cultures, we see dragons as what King Arthur and his knights fought and there are lots of popular dragons like Puff the Magic Dragon that are happy and silly creatures from childhood stories. Dragons have a much more serious and mystical role to play in Chinese culture, however, and we can learn a lot about the rich cultural interpretations of dragons and about how dragons have been regarded as figures of authority in the many traditions of the Chinese people’s long history.
While we in western cultures like to think we do not have a lot of mythological icons in our history, we really do. And we are the kind of people that love to observe the reverence and take part in the joy that ancient cultures such as exist in China have for a figure like the dragon. That is one great reason to think about getting a Chinese dragon tattoo. It comes with a lot of history and lore that make for great stories when people get curious about your tattoo.
Unlike the scary and dangerous images we have of dragons, in Chinese culture dragons are cherished and loved. In a lot of ways to the Chinese dragons are like our guardian angels protecting children and the sick and watching over your family to fight off demons. The history of dragon adoration in China goes all the way back to their very first emperor, Huang Di. It is said that he actually changed into a dragon when he died and went up into heaven in that form. So throughout Chinese history, dragons are depicted in revered and beloved ways and as beautiful figures of art and literature.
But there is not just one dragon that dominates the field in Chinese lore. So if you want to look at Chinese dragon tattoos, you are going to have a time just picking one because there are so many great images. In the cultural context of China, a dragon that is showing horns represents power and strength whereas a dragon that came to earth from the heavenly realms does so to influence the weather and to help farmers get the rain they need. There are lots of kinds of dragons and you can have fun learning about all of them including the wonderful yellow dragon that is the icon that blesses us with wisdom and knowledge. You can use any of these Chinese dragons to also represent that moral or ethic in your tattoo in a very artistic way.
As often happens when a creature takes on strong mythical imagery, Chinese dragons represent the spiritual power behind the elements and changes in weather which are often interpreted as messages from the gods. The association between Chinese dragons and water is particularly strong as they are reputed to have control over the oceans and rivers as well as over waterfalls and water spouts which are thought of as dragons rising from their sleep.
Because these artistic and colorful dragon images are so fascinating, they make great conversation starters when people get curious about your dragon tattoo. Take some time and shop well for the dragon image that fits your mood because you can find dragons in flight, in battle, in repose or even protecting or blessing little children. So because there are so many dragon tattoo designs out there, the odds are that when you pick yours, it will be unique to you and not often repeated.
When considering a Chinese dragon tattoo, it’s obvious because they are so artistic and gorgeous that you will want this tattoo to be in a place of honor such as your stomach, your calf, your back or your chest so it can be easily seen an admired. For the men, a Chinese dragon that is the perfect expression of strength and confidence is perfect. For the ladies, an elegant design that is as beautiful and artistic will assure that your dragon tattoo will also fit wonderfully with your fashion choices and give you great colors to coordinate with your outfits and accessories. This variety combined with the rich lore and history is without a doubt the reason that the Chinese dragon tattoo pattern has become one of the most popular forms of body art there is.
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