Yellow Dragon

For other uses, see Huanglong.

In Chinese mythology, Huang Long (traditional Chinese: 黃龍; simplified Chinese: 黄龙; pinyin: Huánglóng; Cantonese Yale: wong4 lung4; [[Kōryū or Ōryū] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)] Error: {{Langx}}: text has italic markup (help); [[Hwang-Ryong] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)] Error: {{Langx}}: text has italic markup (help); Vietnamese: Hoàng Long; lit. 'Yellow Dragon') or 黄竜 is a hornless dragon which once emerged from the River Luo and presented the legendary Emperor Fu Xi with the elements of writing. According to legend, when it appeared before Fu Xi, it filled a hole in the sky made by the monster Gong Gong. Its waking, sleeping and breathing determined day and night, season and weather.

In East Asian culture, there is sometimes a fifth Guardian Beast of the Si Xiang. This deity is the guardian of the center and it represents the element earth, the Chinese quintessence, as well as the changing of the seasons.

Huang Long does not appear in Japanese mythology: the fifth element in the Japanese elemental system is Void, so there cannot be an animal representing it. Because of this, Huang Long is often forgotten. However, some consider the Ouryu (Ōryū, yellow dragon) as the Japanese counterpart of Huang Long since they share some similarities.

The legendary Yellow Emperor was sometimes said to have transformed into a dragon that resembled his emblem and ascended to Heaven. Since the Chinese consider him to be their ancestor, they sometimes refer to themselves as "the children of the dragon". This legend also contributed towards the use of the Chinese dragon as a symbol of imperial power.