The "Loong" Is Back!
Everyone knows that this year is "龙年". We once called it "the Year of the Dragon". But did you notice that at the beginning of this year, people started to use "the Year of the Loong". Why?
In ancient Chinese stories, the loong is an animal that has a snakelike body, four legs and large eyes. When Western people first learned of this animal, they thought it fit the picture of the "dragon" in their culture, so they called it "dragon". And this name has been passed down to this day. However, there are big differences between the dragon and the loong.
In Western stories, the dragon often has wings(翅膀) and can breathe fire. It is usually a scary and bad animal. However, according to Chinese stories, the loong doesn't have wings, but it can fly high into the sky. People believe it is a lucky animal. In ancient China, people believed in the loong. They believed it had magical powers(力量), able to change the weather and protect humans. Over time, the loong has become a symbol of strength, bravery, wisdom, honesty and good luck in Chinese culture.
Although we started to use the word "loong" commonly at the beginning of this year, it is not a new word. It first appeared in the 19th century. The comeback of the word shows the Chinese people's growing cultural confidence(自信). Now we can proudly(自豪地) say that we are the descendants(后代) of the loong, not the dragon.
