| 首页 导航地图 论坛 为龙正名 媒介 No
Dragon 对龙的误解 Loong
的英文解释 Loong 的应用实例 |
To Slay the Dragon, But Not for Loong China.org.cn
by Wind Gu, December 15, 2006
When Professor Wu Youfu, Party chief of Shanghai International Studies University and deputy president of the Shanghai Public Relations Association, made the proposal that the "Chinese dragon" should no longer be used as an emblem for China, he might not have reflected on the following Biblical scripture when making his remark. "Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time." (Revelation 20: 1-3) Unfortunately, when Chinese scholars first translated the Bible into Chinese, they chose the Chinese character long (in pinyin) to represent "dragon." This translation then resulted in the adoption of long to mean "dragon" in Chinese-English translation. When professor Wu claimed that long should not represent the Chinese identity, indignant nitizens immediately fought back. The professor was reported to be heading up a government-funded research project on new symbols for the Chinese national image. Once completed, the project's suggestion is likely to be accepted by the government. In a survey conducted on December 5, shortly after Wu's remarks were reported, sohu.com pooled 75,331 voters, of whom 92.57 strongly disapproved of rejecting long as an emblem representing China. It was clear that Wu's suggestion as was reported missed the point and backfired. The Chinese long is far from being the peer of a dragon, which is "a large fierce, imaginary animal with wings and the power to breathe out fire." Professor Huang Ji, an expert in advertisement with East China Normal University, has been appealing for the adoption of loong as a more appropriate translation for the Chinese character. Huang started an Internet-based campaign for this goal in December 2005 by registering the domains of www.loong.cn/www.loong.us. His research published on this website shows that as early as back in the 1940s, the use of loong in the brand name of a Chinese cigarette was the English translation of long. The Chinese character long in kung fu master Bruce Lee's Chinese name was translated as Loong. Huang also published on his website possible definitions of loong. He gave a detailed explanation as the following: "A mythological creature, with the head of a camel or horse, the horns of a deer, the eyes of a rabbit, the ears of a cow, the neck and body of a snake, the belly of a kind of huge clam, the scales of a carp, the claws of a hawk, the palm of a tiger, and without wings. It has whiskers and a beard, and is deaf. It is generally regarded as benevolent but is also the source of thunder and lightning." Du Weiping, a scholar of English literature, told china.org.cn that the suggestion of avoiding the use of long as a Chinese emblem could be labeled as national nihilism. "Long has been used by the Chinese as a national emblem for thousands of years," Du said. "It would be far more rational to change the original Chinese translations of 'dragon' and the English translation of Chinese long. Loong is a very good option." (China.org.cn by Wind Gu, December 15, 2006) ------------ Chinese Totem Needs
a New Name "Loong" Dragon, the most revered symbol
of China, needs a new English name "Loong", a Shanghai scholar
said amid a nationwide controversy against the idea to find another icon
for the country. The new version can avoid misinterpretation by westerners, because "dragon" is likely to remind them of the evil and Satan, he said. Huang's argument came following the public opposition against another scholar's idea that the animal should be replaced as an icon of China. Some local media reported that Wu Youfu, an export with Shanghai International Studies University, was heading a program to create a new national icon to represent China to the outside world. "Dragon-related icons easily induce misunderstanding and distortion", he was quoted as saying by a Shanghai-based morning post. The move is far from being accepted by most Chinese who call themselves "descendants of the dragon". "The Chinese should try to stick to the symbol of the dragon, find more messages conveyed by it and develop them into more modern forms. It would become an asset, instead of liability, for Chinese culture," China Daily said in its latest report. The imaginary animal, based on a 7,000-year-old Chinese legend, is a combination of a horse's head, snake's body and chook's claws. It has long been regarded as the totem of the Chinese and symbol of the emperor's power during the country's feudal years. "The solution is not to replace it, but to reinterpret it", Huang said, noting foreigners confused Chinese "Loong" which represents luck and prosperity with the western "dragon" because both have a snake's body. An English dictionary published by a British press in 1993 defined dragon as "a large fierce, imaginary animal with wings and the power to breathe out fire." Although a survey by CCTV showed that the public diverges on whether to translate it to "long' or "loong", many think it a good idea to separate the Chinese animal to its western counterpart. Huang said he had written letters to the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Beijing Organizing Committee of 2008 Olympic Games, calling for replacing "dragon" with "Loong", but he had not yet received any response. To Zhao Qiguang, a professor with Carleton College, dragon has a friendly face and is an image worth loving and respecting unlike its more negative symbol in the west. "The western dragon spouts fire that leads to death while the Chinese dragon rules over the water that gives life to the world," he said when addressing a seminar in Beijing. "I designed a T-shirt for my students with a dragon's image on it, and all of my students are proud of wearing it. If you come to a nation of dragon without seeing the image of the animal, it's a pity," Zhao said. The dragon is the only imaginary animal among the list of 12 beasts on the Chinese calendar that starts with rat, followed by ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. Although the Chinese government has been trying hard to eradicate superstition, belief in traditional astrology remains deeply embedded in Chinese culture. For the Chinese community, Year of the Dragon brings prosperity and fortune and is believed to witness huge events. Parents hope that babies born under the dragon sign will enjoy the good fortune and prosperity associated with the mythological beast. ------- Expert: Chinese totem
needs a new name "Loong" The new name, which sounds similar like how the animal is pronounced in mandarin Chinese, helps separate the image of the western dragon and the Chinese "loong", said Huang Ji, an assistant professor with East China Normal University. The new version can avoid misinterpretation by westerners, because "dragon" is likely to remind them of the evil and Satan, he said. Huang's argument came following the public opposition against another scholar's idea that the animal should be replaced as an icon of China. Some local media reported that Wu Youfu, an export with Shanghai International Studies University, was heading a program to create a new national icon to represent China to the outside world. "Dragon-related icons easily induce misunderstanding and distortion", he was quoted as saying by a Shanghai-based morning post. The move is far from being accepted by most Chinese who call themselves "descendants of the dragon". "The Chinese should try to stick to the symbol of the dragon, find more messages conveyed by it and develop them into more modern forms. It would become an asset, instead of liability, for Chinese culture," China Daily said in its latest report. The imaginary animal, based on a 7,000-year-old Chinese legend, is a combination of a horse's head, snake's body and chook's claws. It has long been regarded as the totem of the Chinese and symbol of the emperor's power during the country's feudal years. "The solution is not to replace it, but to reinterpret it", Huang said, noting foreigners confused Chinese "Loong" which represents luck and prosperity with the western "dragon" because both have a snake's body. An English dictionary published by a British press in 1993 defined dragon as "a large fierce, imaginary animal with wings andthe power to breathe out fire." Although a survey by CCTV showed that the public diverges on whether to translate it to "long' or "loong", many think it a goodidea to separate the Chinese animal to its western counterpart. Huang said he had written letters to the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Beijing Organizing Committee of 2008 Olympic Games, calling for replacing "dragon" with "Loong", but he had not yet received any response. To Zhao Qiguang, a professor with Carleton College, dragon has a friendly face and is an image worth loving and respecting unlikeits more negative symbol in the west. "The western dragon spouts fire that leads to death while the Chinese dragon rules over the water that gives life to the world,"he said when addressing a seminar in Beijing. "I designed a T-shirt for my students with a dragon's image on it, and all of my students are proud of wearing it. If you come to a nation of dragon without seeing the image of the animal, it's a pity," Zhao said. The dragon is the only imaginary animal among the list of 12 beasts on the Chinese calendar that starts with rat, followed by ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. Although the Chinese government has been trying hard to eradicate superstition, belief in traditional astrology remains deeply embedded in Chinese culture. For the Chinese community, Year of the Dragon brings prosperity and fortune and is believed to witness huge events. Parents hope that babies born under the dragon sign will enjoy the good fortune and prosperity associated with the mythological beast. ------------- ChinaBiz Quote It's a good idea to separate the image of the dragon and the Chinese 'loong,' Huang Ji, a professor at East China Normal University, who set up a Web site: www.loong.us to promote swapping the word "loong" for dragon, when translating the concept from Chinese.
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首页 导航地图 论坛 为龙正名 媒介 No Dragon 对龙的误解 Loong 的英文解释 Loong 的应用实例 龙 Loong 网主编信箱：mail@loong.cn |
* 题图装饰背景图片取自荷花塘网站 |
