Cool Chinese Dragon Tattoos

Undoubtedly, the Classic Chinese tattoos have a somewhat unique attraction that can be appreciated very easily irrespective of the fact that very few people who adorn these tattoos fully understand their subtle meanings.

When you are getting a tattoo, aesthetics should be your primary concern, and the Chinese dragon tattoos has this and a lot more – they are indeed well suited for every purpose. While tattoos have always been looked upon as a unique work of art, whether good or bad, Chinese tattoos add to the essence.

For many centuries now, the Chinese dragon has symbolized mystery and power. Depicted in thousands of legends, both Eastern as well as Western, the dragon has indeed provoked man to not only fear it, but to worship it as well. In medieval Europe, it was looked upon as a fire-breathing, bloodthirsty figure. Its ferociousness and malevolence struck terror in every person. However, as you traveled east towards Asia, the opposite was believed of the Dragon. In Asia, the mighty dragon was looked upon as a mythical beast and was celebrated by all for its intelligence, benevolence and good will. Today, the Chinese dragon has become a common symbol amongst many of the Far Eastern cultures.

In fact, most Chinese people are affectionately known as the ‘lung de chuan ren’ or the ‘descendants of the dragon’. So, if you are planning on getting a Chinese dragon tattoo done, then you should know that there seven distinct species of these dragons, namely:

• The Horned Dragon, which is looked upon as the mightiest of all.
• The Celestial Dragon that protects the Gods and supports Heaven.
• The Earth Dragon that rules Mother Earth.
• The Spiritual Dragon controls the rain and wind.
• The Treasure Dragon is considered to be the keeper of precious gems and metals.
• The Winged Dragon is the only type of dragon to have wings.
• The Coiling Dragon lives within the oceans.
• The Yellow Dragon is hornless and is famous for its scholarly importance and knowledge.

Dragons are often viewed, as defenders of treasures and homes and some tattoo designs are amongst the most colorful you will ever see. Many times you will see people with a dragon tattooed all across their backs or extending all the way down their arms. The tiny little tattoo tattooed on a woman’s ankle wont have that big an impact as it would if you had to see a man with a dragon tattooed all across his back.

Of all the mythical beings we know about, the Chinese dragon is by and large the most universal and is usually prominently featured in many different cultures, as they represent the different elements and the four points of a compass. In china, the dragon would symbolize Water, Sky, Earth and the Underworld. In terms of culture, the dragon is indeed a far-ranging character whose bad temper should perhaps be interpreted as being amoral, neither good nor bad. Nature not only nurtures, it has the ability to destroy as well, and this is the same for the dragon. Rain, floods, lightening, comets – all the uncertainty and chaos of the universe is represented in the symbol of the Chinese dragon.

The image of the dragon has always been imagined as a dragon breathing fire. Those are fire dragons. There are water dragons as well that cause the springs to bubble up and sometimes drown people. Whatever may be the type of tattoo you choose for your tattoo, dragons are powerful and are sometimes balanced with other designs like the yin and yang.

The fire dragon tattoo conjures images of conquering all things, while the water dragon represents repressed feelings and emotions and fear. So, if you are planning on getting a Chinese dragon tattoo done, then it is best you do your research well and find out the true meaning of each dragon before you go ahead and allow yourself to be needled. You don’t want to evoke feelings of fear in your onlookers when you only wanted to portray a peace-loving image in the first place.

Equally important is the tattoo artist. Choose the best and most reputed tattoo artist before you make your final decision. The art of drawing Chinese dragon tattoos is indeed a complicated one and you don’t want any amateur artist doing your tattoo and making your dragon look like a crossbreed between an iguana and a T-rex do you? Your dragon tattoo shouldn’t come across as ridiculous looking. So the tattoo artist is very important.

As with most artistic styles and cultural trends, the art of tattooing and tattoos have long since endured various different cycles of popularity – waxing and waning with each passing season. But, the Chinese dragon tattoo has lasted the years and is still one of the most popular tattoo styles.