Azure Dragon

Symbol of Chinese mythology

The Azure Dragon, called Qinglong in Chinese, is a Dragon God representing the forces of the Five Regions' Highest Deities. It is a part of the Chinese constellations known as the Four Symbols. It symbolizes the east and the spring season. People sometimes call it the 'Blue-green Dragon', 'Green Dragon', or the 'Blue Dragon'.[1]

The Azure Dragon King statues in the main hall of Qinglong Palace, Yunnan, China.

In various contexts, media, feng shui, and different cultures, this Dragon is known as the Green Dragon and the Avalon Dragon. Its title for cardinal direction is the "Blue-green Dragon of the East" (Dōngfāng Qīnglóng). The same dragon is referred to as Seiryu in Japanese, Cheongryong in Korean, and Thanh Long in Vietnamese.[2]

Seven Mansions

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There are seven astrological "Mansions" (positions of the Moon) within the Azure Dragon. The names and their stars are following:[3][4]

Mansion no. Name (pinyin) Translation Determinative star
1 (Jiăo) Horn Spica
2 (Kàng) Neck κ Vir
3 (Dĭ) Root α Lib
4 (Fáng) Room π Sco
5 (Xīn) Heart Antares
6 (Wěi) Tail μ Sco
7 (Jī) Winnowing Basket γ Sgr

References

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  1. Tom, K. S. (1989). Echoes from old China : life, legends, and lore of the Middle Kingdom. Internet Archive. Honolulu : Hawaii Chinese History Center : Distributed by University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-1285-0.
  2. Yi, Ki-baek (1984). A New History of Korea. Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-61576-2.
  3. "The Chinese Sky". International Dunhuang Project. Archived from the original on 2015-11-04. Retrieved 2011-06-25.
  4. Sun, Xiaochun (1997). Helaine Selin (ed.). Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures. Kluwer Academic Publishers. p. 517. ISBN 0-7923-4066-3. Retrieved 2011-06-25.