BEIJING, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese dragon, also known as the "loong," is prominent in Chinese mythology as a legendary and auspicious creature. Unlike their European counterparts, Chinese dragons don't exhale fire. Instead, they are often linked with water, symbolizing traits associated with business prosperity, abundant harvests and good health.
As the fifth sign in the traditional Chinese zodiac animal cycle, Chinese dragon represents a totem of the Chinese nation, and Chinese people at home and abroad proudly call themselves "the descendants of loong."
This year's Chinese Spring Festival coincides with the Year of the Dragon, adding extra excitement to global celebrations. It also allows people to satisfy their curiosity about Chinese culture and get acquainted with China's customs and history.
Actors perform a fire dragon dance in a shower of molten iron at the Volga Manor in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province on Jan. 29, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao)
People watch dragon dance at the Qianmen Street in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 2, 2024. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)
This photo taken on Jan. 21, 2024 shows a dragon-shaped festive lantern at the Laomendong scenic area in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province. (Xinhua/Li Bo)
Children perform dragon dance in Shangyang Village, Deqing County of east China's Zhejiang Province on Feb. 2, 2024. (Photo by Xie Shangguo/Xinhua)
Tourists watch underwater dragon dance performance at Qingdao Polar Ocean Park in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, Feb. 3, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)
This screen capture from a video released by the United Nations on Feb. 6, 2024 shows UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres delivering a speech on the Dragon Year Spring Festival, at the UN headquarters in New York. (UN/Handout via Xinhua) Spring Festival, or the Lunar New Year, has been officially listed as a UN floating holiday in its calendar of conferences and meetings as from 2024.
The celebrations of the Spring Festival and the decorations and events themed on Chinese dragons are observed around the world.
A child poses for photos with a dragon-shaped balloon at a market for the Lunar New Year in Singapore, Feb. 7, 2024. (Photo by Then Chih Wey/Xinhua)
A dragon installation with a length of about 200 meters is displayed at a celebration event in Malacca, Malaysia, Feb. 1, 2024. (Xinhua/Cheng Yiheng)
People walk past the Year of the Dragon decorations in Pantjoran Chinatown PIK in Jakarta, Indonesia, Feb. 4, 2024. (Xinhua/Xu Qin)
Children pose for photos in front of a dragon-shaped installation for the Chinese Lunar New Year at Hagley Park in Christchurch, New Zealand, Feb. 9, 2024. (Photo by Meng Tao/Xinhua)
Students from the Confucius Institute of the University of Nairobi perform dragon dance at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, Jan. 31, 2024. (Xinhua/Wang Guansen)
Performers stage a dragon dance during celebrations for the Chinese Lunar New Year in Port Louis, Mauritius, Feb. 3, 2024. (Chinese Embassy in Mauritius/Handout via Xinhua)
A boy experiences dragon dance at a Chinese New Year temple fair in Budapest, Hungary, Feb. 3, 2024. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua)
This photo taken on Feb. 2, 2024 shows the image of a dragon projected on cliffs in Davos, Switzerland. This was the projection work by Swiss light artist Gerry Hofstetter. (Photo by Mike Kessler/Xinhua)
People watch the traditional Chinese dragon dance to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year at the Champs Elysee avenue in Paris, France, Feb. 4, 2024. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)
Students from a Kung Fu school perform a dragon dance during a Serie A1 women's volleyball match between Scandicci and Trentino in Scandicci, Italy, Feb. 4, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Jing)
An artist draws a dragon-themed poster ahead of the Dragon Year Spring Festival in Zaragoza, Spain, Jan. 25, 2024. (Xinhua/Meng Dingbo)
Dragon dance performers take part in a parade to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year in London, Britain, on Feb. 11, 2024. (Photo by Stephen Chung/Xinhua)
People show dragon head-shaped headwear they made during celebrations for the Chinese Lunar New Year at a park in Recife, Brazil, Feb. 3, 2024. (Xinhua/Wang Tiancong)
This photo taken on Feb. 4, 2024 shows a child during a "Year of the Dragon" bicycle costume contest to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Francisco Canedo/Xinhua)
Visitors watch a dragon dance performance during a Lunar New Year celebration event at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the United States, on Feb. 3, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhang Fengguo)
People look at a giant Lego dragon model at the Lansdowne Center in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, Feb. 5, 2024. To celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year of the Dragon, Robin Sather constructed a giant Lego dragon using over 8,000 Lego bricks. (Photo by Liang Sen/Xinhua)
Staff members display the first-day cover and the stamps of the Year of the Dragon and the past versions of the stamps issued by the Belarus Post in Minsk, Belarus, Jan. 30, 2024. (Photo by Henadz Zhinkov/Xinhua)
This photo taken on Feb. 1, 2024 shows a first-day cover with the stamps of the Year of the Dragon issued by the Hungarian Post, in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua)
This photo taken on Jan. 26, 2024 shows a pair of stamps issued by La Poste Group to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year in Paris, France. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)
