252 SHOOTING IN CHINA 



dying during the first days of their New 

 Year, believing that if one uses the word 

 " to die " during these days it will bring 

 sickness and death either to the one who 

 spoke the words or to some one who 

 heard them. 



Turning from fire to water which, 

 according to Chinese philosophy, overcomes 

 fire in the battle of the elements constantly 

 going on, the belief is practically universal 

 in China that the water system of the world 

 is under the control of the two dragons, one 

 called the long, which governs the rain, 

 snow and hail, and the other called the kiao, 

 which governs the water on and under the 

 earth. During a rain storm, or it may be 

 before it comes, people often say they can 

 see the dragon (long) in the sky. Some 

 fantastic shaped cloud attracts their atten- 

 tion and they say it is the dragon making 

 rain. On the other hand when a great 

 flood occurs, sweeping away towns and 

 villages and crops in the plains, it is then 

 said that the earth dragon (kiao) has broken 

 out and caused the flood. The earth dragon 

 appears to keep himself concealed, but if in 

 the neighborhood of the flood a lizard or 



