The Dragon and the Phoenix

Many pictures of Chinese dragons show a flaming pearl under their chin or in their claws. The pearl is associated with spiritual energy, wisdom, prosperity, power, immortality, thunder, or the moon. 

In early Chinese mythology stories, dragons controlled water. The moon was symbolic of water, and therefore a desired object for a dragon.

With the introduction of Buddhism in to traditional Chinese culture during the Tang Dynasty, the pearl can be seen bursting in flame. While some say the flames depicts the sun, others suggest this represents the ‘divine pearl’ of Buddhist faith, the jewel that grants all desires.

One story speaks of dragons “in pursuit of effluent jewels and orbs that appear to be whirling in space, and that were supposed to be of magic efficiency, granting every wish.”

The image can also be seen on the coat of arms of Chinese emperors as early as the Han Dynasty. In this case, the dragon and the pearl represent two things needed to successfully rule:   

authority (Bahamut) and wisdom (the Phoenix).

According to the German anthropologist Wolfram Eberhard, the long dragon symbolizes clouds and rainstorms, and when it plays with a ball or pearl, this signifies the swallowing of the moon by the clouds or thunder in the clouds. The moon frequently appears as a pearl, and thus the dragon with the pearl is equal to the clouds with the moon. The pearl-moon relationship is expressed in the ancient belief that at full moon pearls are solid balls and at new moon they are hollow.

In Feng Shui, the Dragon stands for power, vitality, and positive energy, while the Phoenix is a symbol of peace, transformation, and altruism. When the dragon and phoenix come together, they stand for love, harmony, and unity.

The dragon and the Phoenix were regarded as the most sacred creatures and used to be emblems of the Emperor and the Empress. The Chinese dragon is traditionally the embodiment of the concept of yang (male), while the Phoenix (yin, female) was its pair or mate. 

They were used as decorations on  buildings, clothing and other daily-use articles of the imperial palace to show off that the pair were children of the Heaven.