An understanding of the dragon as a symbol of the soul of China is necessary to understand the mourning customs of China.
The dragon is neither a heavenly creature nor an earthly creature - it is a symbol of thought devised by the ancient Chinese to portray the mysterious power of heaven, earth and sea.
The Chinese convey the power of the dragon by likening it to a cyclone. It can draw air into the sky to form a cloud, it can come to the earth to remove or destroy a house, it can touch the ocean and dry up a river.
A SYMBOL
Since no animal - not even a man - can control all three elements, the Chinese pictured a symbol, the dragon.
There was one exceptional man who could control the elements; he was the Chinese emperor. As the son of heaven, the emperor could control all the elements. He, too, was symbolized as a dragon.
Dragons were carved on the throne of the emperor. The pillars supporting the throne room and the walls of the room are carved with 99 dragons. When the emperor sat upon his throne, he made 100 dragons (the perfect number).
MANY DRAGONS
China is inhabited by many of these symbolic dragons and the emperor controlled all. Each village has a dragon and every cemetery has its dragon.
It was then that the emperor mounted the altar to heaven and atonement for all the people by crying to the gods,
"I have sinned. My people are suffering."
ONCE IN A LIFETIME
The Chinese were not called upon to make an atonement except once in their lives - at the death of a parent.
The eldest son in sending out funeral announcements said,
"I have sinned and as a consequence have lost my beloved parent."
While the spirit of the dead lived about the house for seven days, the son turned his coat inside out, wore it unbuttoned and moved nothing.
NEXT: The Cemetery
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