There are different opinions on the origin of dragons, such as lizards and crocodiles.

They may be the original forms of dragon. Among the cultural relicsof the Neolithic Age, those most in line with these characteristics contain the curly jade dragon in Hongshan Culture.Similar images of jade dragon also appear in Lingjiatan in Hanshan County, Anhui Province and “Xiao Jia Wu Ji” (Ridge of Xiao’s Family) in Tianmen City, Hubei Province.

Both the word “Long” (dragon) in the oracle bone inscriptions of the Shang Dynasty and the jade dragon unearthed from the Fuhao Tomb show that the dragon is a giant, horned, big-mouth, and curved-body mystical creature. Regarding the prototype of the dragon, researchers have put forward various hypotheses, such as snakes, crocodiles, lizards, fish, salamanders, horses, cows, pigs, deer, bears, tigers, silkworms, grubs, pine trees, clouds, lightning and so on. Many relics in the Neolithic Age contain dragon-like remains, either Bang Su (sculptures inlaid with clamshells), coloured paintings, or sculptures. Vivid in shape and exquisitely carved, it has the reputation of “China’s No. On its head are long snout and thin eyes.The mane is floating, and the body curls like a hook. The jade dragon is carved from dark green Xiuyan jade.

Jade dragon sky city