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Chinese Dragons in popular culture
The dragon is and has been an ever present symbol in
Chinese culture, it is an important part of Chinese mythology and it is
an equally important influence and symbol in Chinese modern popular
culture as well.
In the area of Chinese martial arts, which are
commonly known as Kung Fu in the Western world the Dragon has a fighting
style named after it.
The Dragon style of Kung Fu has been transmitted for
most of its history orally rather than in text, so it will most probably
never be known when or who originated it, the modern history of the
Dragon style can only be reliably traced back to the monk Tai Yuk Sim
See because there are no written texts prior to that that attest the
existence of the Dragon style.
Much like the dragon of Chinese tradition is a
mixture of many different animals and has many powers, the Dragon style
of Kung Fu is taught in three very different stages, each of them
focusing on the qi while also strengthening the body. The Dragon style
uses tiger-like punches and clawing techniques, snake-like stance
shifts, and leopard-like hit and run strikes to weaken a physically
superior adversary.
Dragon style-like moves are very common in arcade
video games like Mortal Kombat and Tekken, and the style also has a
reputation of appearing in older Chinese Kung Fu films.
Probably one of the best known modern-day Dragons was
Bruce Lee because he was born in the year of the Dragon and displayed
many of the characteristics said to endow individuals born in such
years. The Dragon title graced two of his films: Way of the Dragon and
Enter the Dragon.
Chinese dragons have also appeared in countless
Japanese anime films and TV series, as well as manga and Western graphic
novels and in Western political cartoons as a representation of China.
Depictions of Chinese dragons can be seen in Western cartoons as well
like the feature length movie Mulan where a dragon named Mushu is a
guardian spirit of the protagonist’s family.
Also, one of the most famous anime series in the
world is the Dragonball series, in which various characters are on a
quest to collect seven mysterious items called dragon balls which when
brought together at a certain time will summon a great powerful dragon
able to fulfill one wish.
The Chinese
dragon has also become one of the most popular tattoo designs used
anywhere on the planet.
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