42 



regions: when a tiger is hit: dragon banner". This is, at least, 

 probably the meaning of the very short text. Ching K'ang-ch'ing 

 explains it as follows: "'In the frontier regions' (^ is used 

 here for J^) means shooting with the rulers of neighbouring 

 countries. They paint a dragon on the banner ' ; moreover it is 

 a variegated pattern. Tull silk' forms the banner" 2, In hunting 

 parties with foreign rulers probably a signal was given with this 

 dragon banner when a tiger (the dragon's deadly enemy) was shot. 



The ancient texts referred to in this chapter are short, but 

 suflBcient to give us the main conceptions of old China with 

 regard to the dragon. He was in those early days, just like now, 

 the god of water, thunder, clouds and rain, the harbinger of 

 blessings, and the symbol of holy men. As the Emperors are the 

 holy beings on earth, the idea of the dragon being the symbol 

 of Imperial power is based upon this ancient conception. 



For the sake of clearness the further texts will be treated in 

 separate chapters according to the kind of information they give. 

 In each chapter, however, chronological order will be observed. 



1 ^M , chen, according to Wells Williams, Diet. s. v. p. 44: "a siliien banner of, 

 a reddish color, plain and triangular". 



^& ^ ^ ^M. ( *M ^ ' ''""^ P°^' ^^^' ^'^'=°'''^'"S *° Ching K'ang-ch'ing, in the 

 same work, Ch. XXVII, p. 246, "deep red, in accordance with the main colour of the 

 Cheu dynasty"). , 



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