Born in China and fluent in its language, Hayes gathers what he learned about the dragon’s place in Chinese life: how the idea may have originated, the many varieties of dragon, how they are supposed to look, and testimony from people who insisted they had seen one, among them a Nanking teacher of classics. A closing chapter compares the dragons of Western mythology.
A short, engaging study from the early Republic, of interest to anyone curious about Chinese folklore and symbolism. Download the free EPUB.