The Imperial Dragon
The Imperial Dragon in earlier times was said to be the intermediary between the Emperor and God. The Emperor would take direct orders from the Dragon and only he knew how to communicate with these magnificent beasts. It became a major crime for a civilian to wear the emblem of the dragon anywhere on his or her clothing. Often times this kind of brazen display would result in immediate death. The Emperor's Dragon was distinguished from the layman's dragon because of the yellow or gold hue and the famous five toes. It is an interesting side note that the Chinese dragon has five toes, the Korean Dragon four toes, and the Japanese dragon three toes. The Chinese people believe that this is the result of the dragon traveling further and further away from China. (Here is an example of a vase which has the image of the five toed dragon painted on it.)
In the rein of China's Song Dynasty, the word Dragon was mandatory when addressing the Emperor or anything having to do with the Emperor. For example, the Emperor became the True Dragon. The throne of the Emperor became the dragon seat or Dragon Throne (http://www.drben.net/ChinaReport/Beijing/Landmarks-Hotspots/DongCheng/Gugong-Palace_Museum/Forbidden_City_Beijing.html) and the imperial children were known as the Dragon Seed. The Imperial way became the Dragon's Path and the future Emperor would be known as the Hidden Dragon. As time went on, the dragon was not only exclusively used in relation to the elite, but was adopted by Chinese society as a whole. The phrase "Lung Tik Chuan Ren," means descendants of the Dragon, and is widely used by the Chinese people. A rich and elegant person was known as a Dragon Prince. A man who was climbing the ranks of society would be known as the Rising Dragon. A man who was much loved would be a Golden Dragon. Other related terms would be dragon-boats, dragon-robe, dragon brush, which is the writing utensil used by the Emperor.
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