Color the Dragon

The Dragon is the only magical animal in the whole Chinese zodiac. The other eleven are real creatures you might meet, but the Dragon is a legend, and in China it has always been one of the luckiest and most special signs of all. Chinese dragons are not scary fire-breathers like in some stories. They are kind, wise, and powerful, and long ago people believed they brought the rain for the crops and good luck for the new year.

That is why you see dragons dancing in long, colorful parades at Chinese New Year, lifted high on poles by a whole team of people working together. In the old story of the Great Race, the Dragon could have flown across the finish line first, because it can soar through the sky. But it stopped to send rain to a thirsty village and gave the little Rabbit a puff of wind to reach the shore. Because of those kind detours, the Dragon finished fifth, and people have loved it for its big heart ever since.

When you color your Dragon, look closely at the swirling patterns in the design. They come from jianzhi (剪纸), the Chinese art of paper-cutting, where artists snip amazing shapes from red paper for festivals. Try bright reds and golds, the colors of luck and celebration in China.