"Ci Yuan" said that "dragon is a miraculous animal in ancient legends, fickle and beneficial to all things, and it is the length of scale worms"; "Ci Hai" says that "the dragon is a beast with scales and needs in ancient legends". Therefore, the dragon is defined as a legendary miraculous animal, which is characterized by scales and whiskers and can make clouds and rain.

Fuxi and Nu Wa, ancestors in human legend, were both heads of dragons (or snake heads), also known as "ancestors of dragons". The ancestors of the Chinese nation, Yan Di and the Yellow Emperor, are said to have a close relationship with dragons. It is said that the Yellow Emperor Long Xuanyuan's Dragon Map Out of the River (Bamboo Book Year) was born for his mother and turned into a red dragon after his death. Therefore, China people call themselves "descendants of the dragon".

In the legend of the Han nationality, dragons can be hidden and displayed, reaching the sky in the spring breeze and diving in the autumn wind. It can also cause rain and clouds, and later became a symbol of imperial power. In ancient times, people thought that the emperor was the real dragon in the sky, so the emperor was also called the real dragon emperor, and the utensils used in the palace were also decorated with dragons.