Dragons and Yang
The dragon is regarded as masculine in nature and can be seen as the ultimate expression of yang, as used in the Chinese symbol yin/yang. It was rare for females to be mentioned in association with the dragon. There were mentions of paintings portraying females riding on the backs of dragons and of ancient pottery depicting scenes of a similar nature, but the dragon was much more closely related to that of the masculine nature. The popular Chinese soccer tournament known as the Asian Cup used this masculine symbol as their mascot in 2004. In an article written by the Xinhua News Agency on October 27, 2003, the Asian Cup dragon icon is described as a, "symbol that embodies both the traditions and ambitions of China. In Chinese culture, the dragon represents strength, dynamism, energy and courage." It is interesting to note that while many countries assume that China's national emblem is the dragon, it is actually the Giant Panda. Perhaps the Chinese government did not wish to broadcast to the world an image that could be easily interpreted as war-like and aggressive.
In contrast to the yang of the Dragon is the yin of the Phoenix, which is commonly known to be the symbol of the beloved empress. However, the phoenix has gained this notoriety over time. In much earlier centuries this famed bird was simply used by the empress as decorative clothing or for the corners of ceiling caissons. So how exactly did the phoenix rise to stardom? In the book Chinese Dragons, Roy Bates explains that the Phoenix's fame was due in large part to Western writers and their romanticizing of this mythical creature. He writes that around the second millennium BC there was a mythical bird known as the fenghuang which was originally associated with the genitals and fertility, which later developed into the symbol for femininity. Finally, it became the emblem of light and happiness that we know it to be today. Western writers renamed this mythical creature the phoenix and gave it much more importance than the Chinese had previously given it. In fact, it wasn't until the late Ming Period (1368-1644) that the phoenix was even seen on the robes of the empress and it was always worn very discreetly for it had to remain subservient to the Imperial Dragon. There are very few dragon/phoenix designs in imperial ceramic panels. In the Hall of Vigorous Fertility, located in the inner court of the Forbidden City, there are dragon/phoenix decorative panels on the outer partition of the folding doors in which many believe symbolize the sacred union between the Emperor and Empress. Bates states that the original meaning wasn't to portray the blissful coupling of the Emperor and Empress at all. In fact, the hall was used by the Emperor during the Ming Dynasty to bed his females, not the Empress. Her chamber was located in the Palace of Earthly Tranquility. Bates concludes that these deorative panels in the Hall of Vigorous Fertility simply represented femininity and beauty, and that, :the concept of a connubial association between the dragon and the phoenix is largely one developed by Western writers who have romantically and unrealistically assumed that there was affection and equality between a Chinese imperial husband and wife."
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