Yinglong, the Winged Dragon

Yinglong is a winged divine dragon from ancient Chinese mythology. The Classic of Mountains and Seas records: 'Yinglong dwells at the Southern Pole; it slew Chiyou and Kuafu, but thereafter could not ascend back to Heaven—hence droughts frequently afflicted the land. When people fashioned effigies resembling Yinglong during droughts, abundant rain would follow.' The text further notes that during Yu the Great’s flood-control campaign, Yinglong traced channels upon the earth with its tail, instantly forming rivers and streams that diverted the raging floodwaters eastward into the sea—thus enabling Yu’s ultimate success. Yinglong thus embodies dual divine roles: as a war deity who secured the foundational victory for early Huaxia civilization, and as a hydrological deity who established the fundamental waterways of the Nine Provinces. After slaying Chiyou and Kuafu, Yinglong was barred from returning to Heaven and settled instead in the southern regions—accounting for the region’s abundant rainfall. Images of Yinglong appear frequently on Han-dynasty pictorial stones and in Northern and Southern Dynasties tomb murals; its distinctive form—a dragon endowed with wings—has since become a unique and enduring branch of Chinese dragon iconography.