2024 is "The Year of the Dragon" on the Chinese lunar calendar, but whether that's the proper translation of the iconic mythical symbol of China or not has aroused heated debate.

 

Influenced by Greek mythology, the dragon is often the keeper of treasure, so the dragon is often a symbol of greed and destruction. In addition to the image of "Saint George slaying the dragon" in the medieval manuscripts of Europe, there is also the Great Red Dragon in the Christian Bible's Book of Revelation, which refers to Satan and the end times.

 

For Europeans, dragon is usually a monster keeping distances away from people, a symbol of darkness. With four legs and two huge black wings, they can spit fire or even poison gas out of their mouth, with great destructive power.

 

Contrary to the evil image of European dragons, Chinese dragons traditionally symbolize potent and auspicious power, strength, and good luck. They even have jobs, as in Chinese legends dragons were appointed head of the four seas where they must keep order, as well as the job of bringing rain to the earth.

 

In 2012, US economist William Engdahl wrote a book Target China: How Washington and Wall Street Plan to Cage the Asian Dragon, in which he revealed how US politicians planned to "slay" the Chinese "dragon".

 

In the Japanese language, which shares a cultural connection with China, the Western dragon and Chinese loong are different characters and separate entities.

 

The Western concept of dragon is not consistent with that of the Chinese dragon. If you want to express ideas related to the Chinese dragon, then you should use the word "loong". For example: "I was born in the year of the loong" or "Happy the Year of the Loong".