Dragon in Chinese culture

A report suggesting the dragon is no longer a suitable Chinese symbol has aroused strong objections since Monday.

A report claimed Professor Wu Youfu, deputy president of the Shanghai Public Relations Association, said the dragon is seen as a symbol of arbitrariness and offensiveness to some extent in western cultures. The bias from westerners who know little about China's culture may lead to a negative effect on the country, according to the report.

However Professor Wu Youfu refuted that the report was not true and emphasized the dragon as a Chinese symbol should be maintained.

In a survey conducted by sina.com, the portal website of China, 90% of 100,000 Internet users held the same opinion that the dragon as a Chinese icon should be continued.

"Dragons in western countries and in China are different. They shouldn't be mixed," Pang Jin, the director of China Research Center on Dragon and Phoenix Culture, said in an interview.

"The dragon in western countries is a combination of several small animals. It mainly represents evil and is usually seen as a symbol of arbitrariness and offensiveness. However, dragons in China are supernatural animals that are always good without aggression. What's more, the dragon in western culture enjoys a low cultural rank, but in China, it is a spiritual and cultural symbol representing prosperity and good luck for about 70,000 to 80,000 years," Pang added.

Some experts also have suggested changing the English translation of dragon to "Loong."

"To some extend, the misunderstanding of the dragon is because of the translation. The Dragon in western society is an animal people try to get rid of. I think the person who initially translated the Chinese "loong" to "dragon" didn't understand it that much, so it's still used up until now," said Professor Guan Shijie from Peking University.

Regarding east meeting west, Pang Jin said, "The world is a diverse one. It doesn't have only one culture. We shouldn't use one standard to judge all others."

"If the ogre Shrek can become a famous beloved image in America, I think the Chinese dragon can learn from it too," concluded Professor Yu Guomin from the journalism school of Renmin University.

Editor: Donald