Dragon, the Phoenix, & the Beautiful Pearl: A Chinese Dragon Spirit Myth

Dragon, the Phoenix, & the Beautiful Pearl: A Chinese Dragon Spirit Myth — page 3
INTRODUCTION The Dragon the Phoenix and the Beautiful Pearl is an adaptation of the traditional Chinese folktale The Bright Pearl Its origin is unknown In this version a dragon and a phoenix find a beautiful stone that they carve into a pearl The light from the pearl is so bright that it attracts the attention of the goddess Xi Wang Mu She then wants to own it The goddess Xi Wang Mu is known by many names including Queen Mother of the Western Heavens and Queen Mother of the West By her palace was said to grow golden peaches that could make a person live forever Many classical Chinese tales feature dragons and phoenixes They have been an important part of Chinese culture for thousands of years Along with the tortoise and the unicorn they were thought to guard one of the four cardinal points north south east and west In mythology the dragon and the phoenix symbolized good luck The dragon was thought to be a gentle creature that brought rain to the people Later it represented the emperor The phoenix's image stood for the empress and symbolized peace