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In China, the dragon or loong has been a symbol of unity for the Chinese people. The loong isn't a "dragon" in the Western sense, but is actually a combination of many different animals. Long ago, China was made up of many competing tribes, each represented by an animal on their flag. These tribes fought many times with each other, but soon realized they would be better off working together and becoming one large tribe. In an effort to work together, they decided they needed one flag to unite them. The tribes chose to combine all the different creatures from their flags to create the Loong; a creature with the body of a snake, the paws of a tiger, the scales of a fish, head of a horse, and the antlers of a deer. As such, the Loong shouldn't be a creature that is feared, rather it is a symbol of peace and unity for the Chinese culture. An easy way to remember that the Loong is different than a dragon is to use the letters in the name. The "L" represents the antlers or horns of the creature, the two "o" letters can be thought of as the eyes of the creature, the "n" represents the paws, and the "g" characterizes the long tail of the creature. |
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