The dragon and the phoenix turn up on wedding invitations, temple roofs, jade carvings and, lately, on a few of the posters I have put in the club’s Etsy shop, TrackAndTrainStudio. They are among the best-known symbols in Chinese culture, but they are easy to misread if you come to them from a Western background. Here is a plain guide to what each one means and why they are often shown together.
The Chinese dragon
The Chinese dragon, long (龍), is not the fire-breathing monster of European stories. In Chinese tradition it is linked with water, rain and the weather, and it stands for strength, good fortune and power used for good. Dragons are usually drawn with the body of a long serpent, and they move through clouds and mist. Over the centuries the dragon also became closely tied to the emperor, which is why it appears so often in imperial art.
That mix of power and water is what interests me as a martial artist. Strength that flows and adapts is much closer to the Wing Chun idea of relaxed power than strength that simply pushes.
The Fenghuang
The Fenghuang (鳳凰) is often translated as “Chinese phoenix”, and that is where the confusion starts. The Western phoenix burns and rises from its own ashes. The Fenghuang is a different bird. It is usually described as a graceful bird made from parts of several creatures, and in tradition it appears in times of peace and good government. You will often hear that it stands for rebirth and renewal. That idea is common today, but it owes a good deal to the Western phoenix, and older Chinese sources lean more towards harmony, virtue and good fortune.
The two characters in the name, feng and huang, were once understood as male and female. Later the bird came to be linked with the empress.
Why they are shown as a pair
If the dragon was linked with the emperor and the Fenghuang with the empress, the pairing makes sense. The combination of dragon and phoenix became a classic image for a married couple, and it is still used for weddings. The phrase often given for it is “the dragon and phoenix bring good fortune”. It is a balance of two different energies, strong and graceful, working together rather than one beating the other.
That is the thought behind the Dragon and Phoenix Poster Set of 2. It is two posters, a Chinese dragon and a phoenix, made to hang side by side. Because the pair often go together in tradition, it suits a couple’s bedroom wall or a wedding gift. The shop also has each one on its own, such as the Storm Dragon Poster, the Misty Mountain Dragon Poster and the Teal Phoenix Poster.
Where martial arts comes in
Many Shaolin-derived systems talk about five animals: tiger, crane, leopard, snake and dragon. The dragon is usually linked with spirit and with flowing, circular movement. Wing Chun has its own animal story. In the origin legend it is the snake and the crane, not the dragon, that inspire the style. I have written more about that in animal symbolism in Chinese martial arts.
It is worth saying that these are traditions and legends, not history that can be proven. I enjoy them for the ideas they carry, and I would not ask anyone to take them as fact.
What a student can take from the pair
- Strength with flow. Power that can adapt is more useful than power that is stiff.
- Grace with substance. Looking calm and light is not the same as being weak.
- Balance. Neither one is better. They work together, which is a fair description of good partner training.
If you want the imagery in your training space
Our posters are printed to order and posted by our print partner, in print only or framed. The listings give sizes and options, and you can see the dragon range on our Posters and Gifts page alongside the Qilin, the Mythical Beasts Trio and the Wing Chun centreline poster. For some ideas on hanging them, read my guide to dojo wall art.
If you would like to learn the art behind the symbols, book your free trial class. Our lineage comes through Grandmaster Ip Chun and Sifu Shaun Rawcliffe of the Midlands Wing Chun Kuen, and our classes run Monday to Friday evenings.
Sifu Alan Bagley, Wing Chun Halesowen
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