The Chinese zodiac marks 2024 because the Year of the Dragon (龙, long). Every 12 years, quite a few Chinese families harbor hopes of welcoming a “dragon baby”—because for hundreds of years, Chinese culture has held the dragon in high esteem, and lots of Chinese people discover themselves as “descendants of the dragon” (龙的传人).
However, quite a few misunderstandings and fears in regards to the dragon exist amongst many Chinese Christians, because they imagine the Bible regards the creature as satanic. For them, the imaginary creature is either an emblem of nationalism or the Devil incarnate.
This Year of the Dragon, believers would do well to ask: What might it seem like for the gospel to transcend Chinese dragon culture? And what would it not mean for Chinese believers to transition from identifying as descendants of the dragon to heirs of God?
Not St. George’s dragon
My surname is Long (龙), which implies “dragon.” After my conversion to Christianity, quite a few Christians advised me to vary my surname since it is similar word as dragon in Chinese Bible translations, and Revelation 12:9 states that the dragon is Satan. While these Christians can have been attempting to keep me from associating with the Evil One, I discovered their interpretation to be an oversimplification and a misunderstanding of each the Bible and Chinese culture.
In the primary place, there are significant differences between the dragons in Chinese culture and the dragons in Western culture and the Bible (Greek: drakōn), starting with their appearance. The “enormous red dragon” in Revelation possesses “seven heads and ten horns” (Rev. 12:3), whereas the Chinese dragon only has one head and two horns. And Western dragons have wings and might fly, spewing flames from their mouths, while Chinese dragons can ascend through the clouds (without wings) and convey forth wind and rain.
Further, these dragons represent opposing ideas. In the traditional Near East, ancient Greece, and historic Western culture, dragons symbolize evil, violence, disaster, and destruction. But in China and East Asia, dragons symbolize sacredness, nobility, auspiciousness, and blessing. William E. Soothill, a missionary to Wenzhou, China, and professor of Sinology at Oxford University, noted that in China, the dragon is all the time doing good, while the Western dragon is nearly entirely seen as evil—harming people, stealing princesses, and upsetting heroes, equivalent to St. George, to slay them.
From the thirteenth century to the current, various Chinese and foreign scholars have suggested not translating the Chinese character as dragon but as an alternative using phonetic transliterations equivalent to loung or loong. Similarly, Soothill suggested using lung. (In this text, I exploit the fashionable Pinyin long.) More specific and accurate translations for the Revelation dragon include e long (“evil dragon”); du long (“poisonous dragon”); and mo she (“demon snake”).
‘Descendants of the dragon’
The first dragon imagery appears in Chinese culture throughout the Neolithic period (around 8,000 B.C.), constructed from piles of stones or painted onto pottery. Since then, the dragon has come to be associated in 4 distinct ways in Chinese history.
First, in prehistoric times, it served as a tribal totem. Then, following the Qin (221–206 B.C.) and Han (202 B.C.–A.D. 220) dynasties, it became an emblem of imperial power. The late Qing dynasty (1644–1912), for instance, represented itself with the “Yellow Dragon Flag,” the primary national flag of China. Henceforth, the dragon symbolized China as a nation.
Today, the dragon has grow to be a unifying identity marker of Chinese people worldwide, who all regard themselves as children of the long. The song “Descendants of the Dragon” played a pivotal role in shaping and popularizing this understanding.
In 1978, the Taiwanese campus folk singer-songwriter Hou Dejian composed this song to articulate the shared heritage of the people on either side of the Taiwan Strait. As China opened its arms to the world again within the Eighties, embracing reform and progress, the song gained prominence.
In 1988, Hou performed “Descendants of the Dragon” on the CCTV Spring Festival Gala, giving voice to the feelings of tons of of tens of millions of Chinese people: “In the traditional East, there may be a dragon, its name is China; in the traditional East, there may be a gaggle of individuals, they’re all descendants of the dragon.”
This assertion of Chinese identity was way more significant than any religious superstition or idol worship. From the “century of humiliation” to its economic and political rise, the image of the Chinese dragon has evolved dramatically from a “sleeping dragon” to an “awake dragon” to a “mad dragon.”
Putting the dragon in his place
Our dragon discussion gives us the chance to think about three of philosopher H. Richard Niebuhr’s five different modes of interaction between the gospel and culture.
The first paradigm posits that the gospel can only be understood by a culture inside its specific context. To that end, Christian evangelists looking for to share the gospel in a Chinese context should study the importance of dragons. As the Chinese/Taiwanese Buddhist scholar Nan Huaiji writes, “Chinese culture is a dragon culture. … Our dragon is revered by heaven and man, and represents God in religious concepts.” While this view could also be barely inflated, Christians should try to grasp the sanctity and transcendence symbolized by the Chinese dragon.
Similar to the “4 living creatures” mentioned in Ezekiel 1 and Revelation 4, dragons are a mashup of assorted animal forms that represent all creatures and lead people toward transcendence. In the identical way, understanding how dragons function in Chinese culture might help create more room for conversations and evangelism.
A second mode of interaction identified by Niebuhr states that the gospel will be at odds with culture. The evil dragon in Revelation 12 originates from the Leviathan within the Old Testament, which regularly symbolizes gentile powers just like the pharaoh of Egypt (Ps. 74:14) and the nations of Assyria and Babylon (Is. 27:1), who are sometimes set as antagonists to the people of God. Similarly, many scholars see the evil dragon and the beast of the ocean in Revelation as representing the rule of the Roman Empire and its persecution of God’s people (Rev. 12). As aforementioned, the Chinese dragon also stands for imperial power. Moreover, considering the Chinese authority’s ongoing persecution of the church, Chinese Christians can easily and legitimately discover the “evil dragon” with a hostile political power.
Finally, a 3rd perspective from Niebuhr maintains that the gospel transforms culture. Similar to the Jews’ dream in the primary century to revive Israel, the Chinese dream of the twenty first century is the grand revival of the Chinese nation, like a dragon soaring. However, as Christians, we all know that real revival comes from a revival of religion.
In the words of the classic Chinese text I Ching, “even when the dragon soars within the sky” (飞龙在天), it’s going to eventually grow to be “the mighty dragon who regrets being too aggressive” (亢龙有悔). The Bible says that “every family in heaven and on earth” is called after God (Eph. 3:15). Through faith in Jesus Christ, Chinese people can grow to be descendants of Abraham, the “father of religion.”
By God’s grace, the descendants of the dragon will be adopted by the heavenly Father, grow to be heirs of God in Christ, and receive the abundant inheritance of God’s family. Therefore, the deepest form of affection for one’s people and nation is to emulate the apostle Paul, striving to bring the gospel of Christ to his fellow Jews (Rom. 9:3).
“Jews demand signs and Greeks search for wisdom” (1 Cor. 1:22); Americans desire freedom and Chinese people pursue wealth and power. The gospel, which concerns all nations, each challenges and fulfills the pursuits of various cultural groups. The Cross could seem “silly” and a “stumbling block,” nevertheless it is the true miracle, wisdom, freedom, and strength.
Heirs of God by grace
After being ordained as a pastor in 2017, I didn’t change my surname. Instead, I modified my first name in Chinese to 降恩 (Xiang’en), which implies “give up to God’s grace.” I also decided to reclaim and reinterpret the concept of “descendants of the long” for the Chinese church.
To that end, I actually have organized and promoted a youth missionary movement in mainland China with the theme of “Heirs” (传人) and written a theme song for it called “Song of the Heirs”:
In the land of God,
the descendants of the gospel advance in waves;
To the nations,
Those who preach the gospel stand up for the Lord.
Chinese Christians aren’t only receivers of traditional culture but in addition reformers of up to date culture and creators of emerging culture. When reflecting on the complex relationship between the gospel and culture, we want a grand and holistic Christian worldview, able to carrying the gospel’s tolerance of, challenge for, and renewal of culture.
Before Hou Dejian delivered his performance of “Descendants of the Dragon” in 1998, he proclaimed, “Among the 12 zodiac signs, the Chinese hold a special affection for the dragon. This is because, while God created the opposite 11 animals, the dragon was invented by the Chinese people.”
Whether that is true or not, it’s true that the Chinese were created by God and that God’s love encompasses all people. Naturally, the Chinese can appreciate the imagination and culture now we have crafted across the long, but when this blinds us to God’s love, then we’re prioritizing the trivial over the essential.
In the brand new heaven and recent earth, the imaginary dragon is not going to make an appearance. But the descendants of God in China will likely be present, standing among the many worshippers from all nations (Rev. 7:9).
Sean Long is a Chinese house church pastor currently pursuing doctoral studies at Wheaton College.
