News Archive - Feb 2004

Just to carry on the Dragon theme I should have said that the previous image below is the 'European' Dragon! It's such a stunning picture I just had to put it in.
We are however a bit more interested in the Chinese Dragon, So Ladies & Gentlemen, boys & girls, I give you more stunning pictures, this time its the Chinese Dragon, plus a bit about the legend of the Dragons nine sons.



Dragons in Chinese architecture, paintings, and culture. According to legend the Dragon had nine sons, and each had a strong personality. There is no general agreement as to what the Dragon's sons are called. However, to most people, they are:

HAOXIAN
A reckless and adventurous dragon whose image can be found decorating the eaves of palaces.
YAZI
Valiant and bellicose; his image is seen on sword-hilts and knife hilts.
CHIWEN
Chiwen likes to gaze into the distance and his appearance is often carved on pinnacles.
BAXIA
Baxia is a good swimmer and his image decorates many bridge piers and archways.
PULAO
Pulao is fond of roaring and his figure is carved on bells.
BIXI
Bixi is an excellent pack-animal whose image appears on panniers.
QIUNIU
Qiuniu loves music and his figure is a common decoration on the bridge of stringed musical instruments.
SUANMI
Suanmi is fond of smoke and fire; his likeness can be seen on the legs of incense-burners.
JIAOTU
Jiaotu is as tight-lipped as a mussel or a snail. His image is carved on doors.

While I was browsing the BreakAway site to see if they had any titbits hinting at a new City Builder, I found myself on their Employment page. There, a small trace of what is to be eagerly awaited, were the words: "Ancient Worlds" (our latest real-time strategy/3-D city builder).

The Veil is slowly lifting...

China is unique among tiger range countries because four of the surviving tiger subspecies at one time lived within its borders: the Siberian tiger in the far northeast bordering Russia and North Korea; the South China tiger (which is considered the evolutionary antecedent of all tigers) in the central parts of China; and the Indochinese and Bengal tigers in the far south bordering Vietnam, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Assam (India). The tiger is a favorite subject of Chinese artists, depicted as fierce and powerful.
The current status of wild South China tigers is vague. Only 40 years ago there were reputed to be more than 4,000 tigers, but the government declared them pests, and they were hunted mercilessly. A 1987 field survey by Chinese scientists reported a few tigers remaining in the Guangdong mountains bordering Hunan and Jiangxi, and another survey in 1990 noted evidence of about a dozen tigers in 11 reserves in the remote mountains of Guangdong, Hunan, and Fujian Provinces of South China. No tigers were seen. The only sightings were anecdotal stories from old hunters who had quit the business (or so they said). A 1995 unconfirmed report from the Ministry of Forestry suggests that the wild population is fewer than 20 individuals.
The current situation is that no wild tigers have been seen anywhere by Chinese officials for more than 20 years. The Chinese Ministry of Forestry lists 21 reserves within the presumed range of the tiger, and Chinese specialists believe between 30 and 80 tigers are still left in the wild. The last time a wild tiger was seen in the wild was 10 years ago These facts suggest that the South China tiger is the rarest of the five living tiger subspecies, the most threatened, and the closest to extinction.

I shall attempt to put a short piece about an Emperor related game animal per week for your perusal.....



Dragon cultures exit in both the Eastern and Western world. Dragons are deeply rooted in Chinese culture, so Chinese often consider themselves, 'the descendants of the dragon.' In the Western, dragons can be found in many literatures and they look significantly different from the Chinese dragon.

Nobody really knows where the dragon comes from. The dragon looks like a combination of many animals, such as a reptile, a snake, an alligator, and a lizard. Or it may be just a product from the imagination of Chinese people.

Chinese emperors think they are the real dragons and the sons of the heaven. Thus the beds they sleep on are called the dragon beds, the throne called the dragon seat, and the emperor's ceremonial dresses called the dragon robes. Also dragons can be seen on the buildings in the imperial palace. Dragon screens are an important part of this dragon culture. The dragon is a symbol of imperial power.

Traditionally the dragons are considered as the governors of rain falls in Chinese culture. They have the power to decide where and when to have rain falls. The kings of the water dragons live in the dragon palaces under the oceans.

The dragon also plays an important part in Chinese Festivals. The dragon dance has a long history, which was already a popular event during the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD). The Dragon Boat Festival is almost purely dragon-related festival, which becomes popular international events now.

There are many Chinese stories about the dragon. There is even a very famous Chinese idiom, 'Lord Ye's Love of Dragons,' which means professed love of what one really fears. Here is the story behind the idiom. Lord Ye loved dragons deeply. He had dragons everywhere and he was thinking about dragons all the time. His love of dragons moved a real dragon, so the dragon came to visit him one day. When he saw the real dragon, he was frightened to death.