here be dragons

In the early days of cartography, there would have been areas on a proposed map about which nothing was known, and rather than leave an empty space, the map-maker would fill that space with the words ‘here be dragons’. In the Christian tradition, however, dragons are the embodiment of evil, so the likes of Saint Michael and Saint George could be seen as heroes simply by killing one.

The Chinese have a different idea. Dragons are benevolent creatures, and seeing one is a sign of good fortune for the beholder. You may think that this is entirely fanciful, but if so, perhaps I can draw your attention to the photograph on the right, which I took from my balcony several years ago. The mountain is Lung Yeuk Tau (‘leaping dragon head’), so named because, according to local legend, a dragon was once seen leaping around hereabouts, and Lung Yeuk Tau is now the official name for this whole area, which even boasts a heritage trail!

Western and Chinese dragons don’t look remotely similar. The principal difference is that Chinese dragons don’t have wings. This doesn’t mean that Chinese dragons cannot fly. As supernatural beings, they don’t need wings to fly! And Chinese dragons are more obviously reptilian, as many of the photos below indicate. Neither do they breathe fire.

I’ve been photographing representative images of dragons for the past couple of months, but I want to start with some photos that I took in November 2015. I was cycling along part of ‘journey to the west’ with my friend Vlad when we encountered preparations for a dragon dance that involved a dragon far longer than any that I’d ever seen previously:

The third photo shows just how long this dragon was—I believe that it was part of the festivities for a decennial gathering of the local clan, members of which are nowadays scattered around the world. I’d never previously seen anything even remotely like it!

The remaining photos are presented in approximately chronological order.

When my cousin was staying with us last month, the first place I took him to was the Wun Chuen Sin Koon Monastery east of Fanling. There is a huge amount to see here, but one thing you could not fail to notice is the elaborate decoration both inside and outside the main buildings. And part of that decoration is recurring dragon motifs:

The lower strip also features phœnixes, which represent the female principle (dragons are male).

I was exploring an area north of Ting Kok Road, east of Taipo, when I rode past a small temple without noticing it. I stopped a short distance further on simply because I was unsure where to go next, and in any case I needed a drink of water. I looked back, and I decided immediately that I had to turn back:

The temple is dedicated to the goddess Guanyin, and this is a close-up of the supporting pillar you can see in the previous photo:

It’s customary for a tripod filled with sand to be located in front of a temple into which worshippers can plant their burning joss sticks, and in this case two dragons appear to be ‘supporting’ the sides:

In the same area, I also visited the Shuen Wan Temples. There is a lot of detail to admire here (I featured the door gods in More Door Gods #3), but these are the dragons on one of the gable ends:

The arrangement of two dragons facing each other with a pearl between them occurs again below:

Che Kung Temple is one of the best-known in Hong Kong, but while there is a lot to see, this wall plaque is the only thing featuring a dragon motif:

I was following the long way home recently when I spotted that the Peng Ancestral Hall was open—it had always been closed when I passed—and I found this dragon painted on the hinged screen behind the main doors:

I visited San Tin, which is a heavily developed village area west of Fanling, for the first time recently. There are several attractions here, including Tung Shan Temple. Like the small temple that I described above, there is a tripod for incense in front of the main door. This is the dragon on the side facing away from the temple:

…while this photo shows the dragons ‘supporting’ the two sides:

There are no door gods guarding this temple, but the door knockers (there are two) look suitably fearsome:

Ho Sheung Heung (‘village above the river’), a short distance west of the main railway line through Fanling, has a recently renovated temple with some interesting features. The tripod here is brass rather than stone, with two elaborately cast dragon ‘handles’:

…while this view from the back of the temple shows two ceramic dragons facing each other along the roof ridge:

The village has been holding a major festival recently, and although I wasn’t there to see it, the festivities will almost certainly have included a dragon dance. The temple is where the dragon ‘hides’ when it isn’t dancing:

There are more dragons inside the temple:

…and even the ‘windows’ feature a dragon motif:

This temple is also where I photographed a ceramic panel that features Ao Guang, the dragon king of the east sea:

Finally, here is something that I would have included in Stone the Crows, my account of how Chinese farmers protect their crops from thieving birds, except that I saw it for the first time while cycling on the long and winding road with Paula on Saturday.

It hadn’t been there a week earlier.