Say goodbye to the Rabbit and Hello the Dragon. The Chinese Year of the Dragon starts on January 23, 2012.  Asian countries and people of Chinese descent worldwide will celebrate the New Year not only with fireworks, dragon dances, lanterns and family feasts, but also with spiritual and social pride specifically associated with the Chinese Dragon.  Despite the hard-hit economic downturn, a higher than normal birth rate is almost a sure thing.

Chinese dragons are legendary creatures in Chinese mythology and folklore, with mythic counterparts among Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Bhutanese, Western and Turkic dragons. They are seen as “in charge” of water-related weather phenomenon.  In Chinese art, dragons are typically portrayed as long, scaled, serpentine creatures with four legs.  In yin and yang terminology, a dragon is yang and complements a yin fenghuang (Chinese phoenix).  In Chinese arts today, the dragon is mostly used for decorative purposes.  It is a taboo to disfigure a depiction of a dragon.
Contrary to western dragons which are considered aggressive beasts and evil, dragons in Chinese culture including many Asian countries symbolize potent, auspicious powers, strength, and good luck.  People are compared or referred to the dragon for exceptional achievements and high social standings.  Expecting our children to become dragons has been the perpetual inner force driving parents to become ‘tiger mom or dad’ all over the world.
Since the last century, Chinese people began to use the term “Descendants of the Dragon” as a sign of ethnic identity.  A pop song in the same name had become so popular that people live under drastically contradicting political systems and geological areas can hold hands sing-along and feel the pride of being the “Children of the Dragon”.