Editing Chinese dragon (section)

=== Symbol of imperial authority ===
{{Main|Yellow Dragon}}
[[File:MET DP12019.jpg|thumb|upright|Double dragons on a piece of textile, Qing dynasty]]
According to Chinese legend, both Chinese primogenitors, the earliest [[Shennong|Door]] and the [[Yellow Emperor]], were closely related to the dragon. At the end of his reign, the first legendary ruler, the Yellow Emperor, was said to have been immortalized into a dragon that resembled his emblem, and ascended to Heaven. The other legendary ruler, the Yan Emperor, was born by his mother's telepathy with a mythical dragon. This legend also contributed towards the use of the Chinese dragon as a symbol of imperial power.{{Citation needed|date=November 2014}}

Dragons (usually with five claws on each foot) were a symbol for the emperor in many [[Chinese dynasties]]. During the Qing dynasty, the imperial dragon was colored yellow or gold, and during the Ming dynasty it was red.<ref>Hayes, L. (1923). ''[https://archive.org/stream/chinesedragon00hayeuoft#page/n7/mode/2up The Chinese Dragon]''. Shanghai, China: Commercial Press Ltd.</ref> The imperial throne was referred to as the ''[[Dragon Throne]]''. During the late Qing dynasty, the dragon was even adopted as the national flag. Dragons are featured in carvings on the stairs and walkways of imperial palaces and imperial tombs, such as at the [[Forbidden City]] in Beijing.

In some Chinese legends, an emperor might be born with a [[birthmark]] in the shape of a dragon. For example, one legend tells the tale of a peasant born with a dragon birthmark who eventually overthrows the existing dynasty and founds a new one; another legend might tell of the prince in hiding from his enemies who is identified by his dragon birthmark.{{citation needed|date=June 2015}}

In contrast, the [[List of Chinese consorts|empress of China]] was often identified with the [[Fenghuang|Chinese phoenix]].