The similitude or associations of dragons with the fishes go back to a legend that tells that a fish-carp jumped on the “mythical door of the dragon” and it became this fantastic animal; in fact, several cascades and waterfalls of China are considered possible places where the Door of the Dragon is located. History is used as an allegory of the impulse and the effort necessary to surpass obstacles and to achieve success. This same allegory was taken advantage of and used recently by Japanese anime, when the dragon Shiryu -one of the characters in Saint Seiya- faces the challenge to modify the course of the stream of a cataract located in the region called the Five Ancient Peaks.

An alternative hypothesis suggests that the first Chinese dragons were species of crocodile. Specifically, the Crocodilus Porosis, an ancient and huge animal. It is known that the crocodiles detect climatic changes like the pressure of the air and that they can perceive when rains will happen. This could have been the origin of the mythical qualities attributed to the dragon to control weather, especially the rain. In addition, there are evidences of the veneration to crocodiles in Mayan, Babylonian, and Indian civilizations.

During the Han dynasty the appearance of the dragon was characterized with the following attributes:

1. A serpent-like body
2. Fish tail and scales
3. Horns over the head similar to a male stallion
4. Face of camel
5. Two pairs of eagle claws
6. Bull ears
7. Tiger paws
8. Demon eyes
9. A flaming pearl underneath his chin

Also supernatural powers are attributed such as the capacity to disguise themselves as silkworms; to become an enormous being able to cover the sky; to fly between clouds; to hide themselves in the water; to roll on fire; to turn invisible or to become a brilliant light that shines in the dark.

Sometimes, the dragon acquires anthropomorphic qualities. According to diverse legends, it can become a human being dressed in the suit of a king who conserves his face of dragon but uses a crown.

Finally, there exist nine classes of represented famous dragons in the Chinese art and Eastern Literature. They are:

1. Tianlong: the celestial dragon
2. Shenlong: the spiritual dragon
3. Fucanglong: the dragon of the hidden treasures
4. Dilong: the underground dragon
5. Yinglong: the winged dragon
6. Jiaolong: the dragon with horns
7. Panlong: the dragon with tail, inhabitant of the waters
8. Huanglong: the yellow dragon, born from the Luo River
9. The Imperial dragon.