Page 206 - Oriental Series Japan and China, Brinkly

CHINA

superstitions of his nation. The celestial dragon,

guardian and buttress of the dwellings of the deities
;

the spiritual dragon that makes the wind blow and

the rain fall the terrestrial dragon that shapes the
;

courses of rivers and brooks the treasure dragon that
;

keeps watch over the precious things invisible to

human eyes ; the holy dragon that protects the

Buddhist faith the majestic dragon that appears on
;

the imperial ensign and serves as a synonym for the

occupant of the throne all these are forms in

which the fabulous snake presents himself to Chinese

imagination, and on porcelains destined for official

use his introduction into some part of the decorative

design becomes almost a necessary tribute to his

supernatural ubiquity. It must be noted, however,

that though the iteration of the dragon is a defect in

Chinese keramic decoration, some of the very choi-

cest specimens of blue-and-white porcelain carry this
design, especially vermilion boxes and pen-washers

of soft-paste ware (kai-pien-yao} upon which the

potter has evidently lavished all the resources of

his technique. The dragon is also incised in the

paste of egg-shell porcelains of unsurpassable quality,

and is modelled in relief upon grand celadons and
enamelled wares of the Kang-hsi, Yung-chingt and

Chien-lung eras.

The phoenix (Feng) stands next to the dragon in

frequency of use as a decorative subject. It is one of

the Four Supernatural Creatures, the others being the

dragon, the Ky-lin (unicorn) and the tortoise

(kivei).

Tradition assigns to the phoenix a pheasant's head, a

swallow's bill, a tortoise's neck, and the outward

semblance of a dragon. But these characteristics are
seldom apparent in its ordinary delineations. It is

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