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The Chinese dragon is no relation to the western worlds fire-breathing dragon or to any prehistoric dinosaur like beast. It is strictly a product of spiritual beliefs and is listed in Buddhist text as a supernatural
animal that can appear or disappear at will, and make itself any size.
According to Buddhist writings, dragons live in oceans. Since dragons live in large bodies of water, their association with the rest of the world is
through water. If a dragon wishes to become visible, anyone can see him. If not, then only those who have reached a high level of enlightenment can view this special animal. The Chinese also believe that dragons produce rain,
and when they do decide to make themselves visible they are seen on clouds.
Chinese dragons have snake like bodies covered with scales. They also have lizard like arms and legs that end in sharp claws. The head resembles a
snakehead. Since Shaolin martial arts are derived of Buddhist origins, the dragon was a perfect candidate to represent a gungfu form.
As with its mythical namesake, Shaolin dragon form fighting transcends the easily
understood real world of external martial martial arts and enters the spiritual world of internal strength and power.
The dragon represents internal strength, although it does have some external training benefits. Since
dragons are not actual living beasts, many dragon techniques are variations of the characteristics of other gungfu animals. For instance, dragon movements are soft and circular, similar to, but not exactly like, those of the
snake.
However, dragon techniques should not be confused with those of the Shaolin snake. Although both are lizard like, the snake has no legs, while the dragon's claws form an important element of its fighting style.
While Shaolin snake techniques contain softer coiling actions and finger tip strikes, dragon techniques are represented through soft circular movements ending with hard sudden power. Therefore, the snake exhibits only soft
power, while the dragon uses a force that represents both hard and soft training.
In the days of the Shaolin temple, dragon training involved specialised exercises called Long Zhua Gong, which were similar to the tiger style
exercises of holding heavy jars. The actual dragon movements also encourage the student to use his/her waist to generate power rather than relying on the strength of the shoulders and arms. This useful training habit comes from
an imitation of the whip like action of a dragon's long tail.
The dragon forms primary contribution to Shaolin animal styles is its internal conditioning and training, balancing the other animals.
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