Dragon, winged dragon, dragon with foliated tail and chi dragon

According to Shuo wen dictionary dated A.D 200, the dragon is the chief among scaly reptiles.  It has the power of transformation and can ascend to heaven and descend into deep pools. It brings rain to the earth.   It was the totem of an ancient tribe which evolved to become a symbol of the authority of the emperor.  It is also an important symbol for the Chinese race who consider themselves to be the proud descendents of the dragon.

The image of the dragon has evolved since ancient time and became that with a pair of horns, whiskers, hairs on its head serpentine body and 3 to 5 claws on its feet probably by 5 Dynasties.  Since then, it has been among the repertoire of motifs used on ceramics.  Together with the phoenix, they are key motif used on imperial wares of the Ming and Qing dynasty.   The dragon is usually depicted with 5 claws on Qing imperial wares.  Common designs include dragon chasing flaming pearl, dragon in cloud, dragon among floral scrolls, dragon together with phoenix, dragon in the sea and etc.

During the Ming Dynasty, three variant forms of the dragon were also popular.  They are the winged dragon, chi-dragon and the dragon with foliated tail. The dragon with foliated tail probably evolved from the makara motif of Indian origin.