Physical Description
Yu-Lung are monstrous fish found in China; specifically, Yu Lung are described as dragons with the head and fins of a giant fish. [1]
The Dragon Gate for Yu-Lung
At the border between Shensi and Shansi provinces, the Yellow River meets the Dragon Gate, or the Lungman Falls. [2] Yu the Great cleft the Dragon Gate when creating the rivers of the world, [3] and to this day, Carp pass through and rise as dragons into the sky. [2]
The Celestial Carp, each year, compete to jump through the dangerous gate. The reward for those that succeed is immediate transformation into a dragon, Yu Lung. [1] An expression, Lihua Lung, means 'The Carp Becomes a Dragon,' and it is used to describe success in public exams. [3]
Footnotes
For more information on footnotes and references, please see the bibliography.
