The emperor’s most reverential title was “The True Dragon,” and in harmony with that idea the word “dragon” in the adjectival sense was used in names of all that had to do with his life and position. As an example of this his throne was the “dragon’s seat,” his hands the “dragon’s claws,” the pen he used was the “dragon’s brush,” the imperial robes were called “dragon’s garments,” and the imperial glance was known as “dragon’s eyes.” The “Dragon Tablet” was the name given to the imperial tablet, which was worshiped during the Ching dynasty in every large temple and monastery in the land, and even in Mohammedan mosques. The inscription on the tablet read as follows: “To the reigning Emperor. May he live ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years.” The tablet received its name from the fact that it represented the Emperor, “The True Dragon,” and because it bore at its top a dragon’s head. One insignia of official rank, until the recent Revolution, was the picture-square embroidered in gold and silver thread and worn on the front and back of official robes. The squares worn by civil officers bore the pictures of birds, while those of military officials were decorated with the pictures of animals; each rank and grade having its corresponding variety of bird or beast. The emperor, the princes, and the prime minister were allowed the special privilege of wearing the dragon on one of these embroidered squares. The round disk on the Chinese Dragon Flag, which is often pictured before the mouth of the dragon, is explained by some as a pearl, by others as a huge spider metamorphosed into a ball. We are repeatedly told in fables that dragons have a peculiar fondness for teasing spiders. A more satisfactory theory, however, is that the disk represents the sun. According to this explanation, the dragon is not trying to devour that heavenly body, as some would lead us to suppose, but is gazing with a great longing, for it desires to become like the sun in brilliance. In referring to the Dragon Flag, the fact is worthy of notice that although this design appeared upon Chinese military banners through many centuries, the selection of the dragon emblem as a national insignia was of comparatively recent date. It is probable that the custom of foreign nations of using national emblems had a large part to play with the adoption of a national flag.