Unlike the dragons of the West, Chinese dragons are believed to be powerful and benevolent and to be the bringer of good fortune, wisdom and health. Chinese emperors are considered to be the sons of dragons and dragon emblems are used in the emperor’s clothes and also as carvings on gates, doors, walkways and furniture in the imperial palaces. In fact, it was forbidden in ancient China for a common man to use a dragon emblem. And here is a fun fact: Dragons with five claws are reserved for the emperors while dragons with four claws, like the one above in a building in the Shenyang Imperial Palace, are for princes and princesses.
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