Bronze Dragon, Kang Hsi Period Dragon Colonnade at Chufu Frontispieces Page Emperor Kang Hsi in Dragon Robes 1 The Dragon Throne of the Recent Emperors 2 The Han Dynasty Dragons 7 The Porcelain Dragon Screen 8 The Dragon Staircase 13 An Imperial Dragon 14 Tablet to Confucius 17 Dragon Gateway 18 The Dragon Stone 21 Dragon Eaves-Tile 22 Dragon-Guarded Astrolabe 25 Surrounded by Dragons 26 A Dragon-Mounted Bell 29 A Cloud Dragon 30 Circular Dragon Eaves-Tile 35 Chien Lung Vases 36 A Living Dragon 43 Two Porcelain Dragons 44 The “Dragon Square” 49 The “Dragon Disk” 50 Emperor Kang Hsi on the Dragon Throne 55 A Dragon Lantern 56 A Dragon Column 59 The Gateway to the Dragon Well 60 The Dragon Tablet 63 A Dragon Boat Race in Foochow 64 CHAPTER ONE THE PLACE OF THE DRAGON IN CHINESE LIFE There are real dragons living in China to-day. These are not the horrible monsters that some have imagined them to be. They are friendly creatures highly revered by all the people. They possess marvelous powers and they occasionally permit themselves to be seen by mortal eyes. Such is the belief of at least seven out of every ten Chinese. The popular belief in the dragon is so deeply rooted and so widespread that it is advisable for one to secure an accurate knowledge of the Chinese idea of the venerated saurian if he desires to gain a truly sympathetic understanding of this remarkable people. Nearly every phase of Chinese life bears evidence of the influence of this unique member of the animal kingdom. Particularly is this true in the realms of their art, literature, folklore, zoölogy, history, and religion. Chinese art employs dragon designs in endless variety. The graceful lines of its symmetrically proportioned body are found in every part of the country painted upon silks and porcelain, woven into brocades, carved on wood, embroidered upon satin, cast in bronze, and chiseled upon marble. It is the most characteristically Chinese of the many Oriental designs which are so attractive to Western students of art.