Dragons are not real animals, but look like a combination（组合体）of many animals such as snakes, fish and deer. They have two horns（角）and a long moustache（胡子）. With fantastic powers, they fly in the sky or swim in the sea. They can make rain, too. The Chinese dragon is a symbol of strength and good luck. The emperors of ancient China loved dragons. Their clothes were covered with pictures of dragons.

We are proud to call ourselves the “descendants（传人）of the dragon”. In Chinese, “excellent” people are often called “dragons”. A number of Chinese sayings and idioms talk about dragons. For example, “hoping one’s child will become a dragon” means hoping he or she will be successful.

It is said that people born in the Year of the Dragon have certain characteristics. They are creative, confident, brave and quick—tempered. There are some famous “dragons” who have done excellent things, for example, Deng Xiaoping, the famous businessman Li Jiacheng and the movie star Zhao Wei. They are all very successful.

There are also some traditional festivals about dragons in China, such as Dragon Head—Raising Day and Dragon Boat Festival. We have different kinds of activities to celebrate them. These two festivals come every year, but the Year of the Dragon comes every twelve years.

The dragon is very important in Chinese culture. As the “descendants of the dragon”, it is necessary for us to know the views on dragons in our culture. It can help us understand why our parents always want us to be “dragons”.

Some things usually have different meanings in different cultures.

	Chinese culture: Most phrases about the dog have negative (否定的) meanings, such as “a homeless dog”, “a mad dog”, “a running dog”, “ a dog catching a mouse”. Western culture: The word “dog” has positive (积极的) meanings. Dogs are considered honest and good friends of humans. For example, “You are a lucky dog” means you are a lucky person.
	Chinese culture: In ancient times, dragons were regarded as strong and magical creatures. They brought hope and good luck. And the ancient kings compared themselves to dragons. Now, many parents want their children to become “dragons”. Western culture: Dragons were dangerous animals. Heroes kill them to protect people.
	Roses have similar meanings both in Chinese culture and Western culture. They stand for peace and love.

Numbers are not just numbers. They have cultural meanings (文化意义). Let’s see some of the lucky (吉利的) and unlucky (不吉利的) numbers across the world.

First, the number four. Chinese people don’t like the number four because it sounds like the Chinese word “death (死)”. But people in Australia love the number. Four is the top pick (首选) for them to get new phone numbers or room numbers.

Next, the number six. Six is a lucky number in China. Six means everything goes well in Chinese. During the Spring Festival, many parents give 666 yuan to their children as lucky money. But the number 666 is not welcome in English-speaking countries. So it’s not good to use 666 when you talk with your friends from Canada or America.

The number eight is a lucky number in most countries. This number is welcome among Chinese people because it has similar pronunciation (相似的发音) to “Fa”. The Beijing Summer Olympics started at 08: 08 pm on August 8th, 2008. Eight is also a lucky number in Japan.