Reading Pang Jin's "Chinese Dragonology": A Milestone in Dragon Culture Research

Wang Kaimo

Pang Jin's *Chinese Dragon Culture* (published by Canadian Xi'an Ontario Press in August 2025) is a fifty-thousand-character work. Building upon his excavation of ancient wisdom, his inspiration from contemporary scholars, and his nearly forty years of research into dragon culture, the author has delved deep, sifted through the sands to find gold, comprehensively synthesized, and innovated. This book represents a groundbreaking and pioneering achievement in the history of Chinese dragon culture research, filling in gaps and marking a new milestone.

"The Study of Chinese Dragons" has numerous characteristics and contributions, but looking at the main ones, there are primarily three:

First, in “Chinese Dragonology,” the author, with "dragon" as the core, radiating outwards to surrounding layers, has constructed a systematic theoretical framework for Chinese Dragonology. A reasonable theoretical framework for a discipline is effectively its program and paradigm. It has its specific object and scope of research, the academic and practical value it seeks to pursue, its unique set of concepts, ways of thinking, and research methods, and forms a theoretical system composed of several organically structured theoretical contents where the logic of the research object is consistent with the logic of the research thinking. The theoretical system of Dragonology, composed of eighteen disciplinary branches and research directions, including the philosophy of dragons, the developmental history of dragons, the biology of dragons, the astronomy of dragons, the archaeology of dragons, the mythology of dragons, the ethnology of dragons, the civilization studies of dragons, the folklore of dragons, the political science of dragons, the art studies of dragons, the creativity studies of dragons, the semiotics of dragons, the hermeneutics of dragons, the studies of dragon beliefs, the study of dragons and Taoism, the study of dragons and Confucianism, and the study of dragons and Buddhism, is such a reasonable theoretical framework with these characteristics. A reasonable theoretical framework for a discipline is also an important indicator of its development level and maturity, serving as the paradigm for further research, the foundation for expansion, and the support for development. It can be believed that with the foundation laid by the theoretical framework of Chinese Dragonology and the paradigm provided, the community of dragonology scholars will undoubtedly continuously produce new research findings based on this, thereby promoting the deepening, expansion, and sublimation of the discipline of dragonology, and contributing to telling China's story well, spreading Chinese culture, and enhancing Chinese civilization.

Second, in the “Dragon Belief Studies” section of “Chinese Dragonology,” the author, taking the inheritors of the dragon as the subject of belief, discusses the object and ultimate goal of belief, the indispensable bridges and pathways to realizing belief, and the value orientation and a complete set of mind-cultivation and practice norms people must adhere to in order to realize their faith, thereby crystallizing a unique and systematic Chinese theory of “Dragon Way Belief.” According to Dragon Way Belief theory, the object of people's belief was originally the cosmic force that aggregates all the energies of the universe. This cosmic force is self-originated, self-rooted, self-existent, non-personal, formless, trans-experiential, without good or evil, and is the supreme ultimate existence that autonomously evolves all things. However, because the subject of belief is the inheritor of the dragon, people imbue the original object of belief with the spirit of the dragon, which is composed of all the characteristics of the dragon. In this way, the dragon, through its spirit, integrates into the cosmic force, becoming its representative and embodiment, and the object of belief for its inheritors. The dragon also becomes the intermediary, connector, carrier, and bridge linking the subject and object of belief through its spirit. This means that, according to the dragon's requirements, through the practice of mind cultivation and self-improvement, people strengthen their soul power, which is constituted by the willpower of firm belief, the cognitive ability of positive wisdom, and the practical ability of externalized morality, to achieve resonance with the spirit of the dragon, whose core principles are “harmony and inclusiveness” and “generating blessings.” When this level is reached and the process of “dragonization” is completed, even if the human body dies, their soul power will be recognized by the dragon and be carried into the world of cosmic force, where it will be accommodated and operate. So how can people cultivate their minds and practice to complete the process of dragonization and nurture a soul power filled with the spirit of the dragon? The Dragon Way Belief theory provides two sets of norms: positive affirmation and guidance, and negative negation and opposition. The former is the norm system of “respect, love, benefit, and harmony,” meaning to respect heaven, people, and oneself; to love heaven, people, and oneself; to benefit heaven, people, and oneself; and to be in harmony with heaven, people, and oneself. The latter consists of ten prohibitions: do not disgrace China, do not look down on others, do not treat parents badly, do not neglect the education of one's children, do not harbor greed, do not lie, do not engage in harmful or deceitful practices, do not slack in work, do not abuse animals, and do not be wasteful. The former aims to guide people to complete the process of dragonization, while the latter is intended to prevent obstacles in the process of dragonization. The Dragon Way Belief theory has a strong philosophical foundation, appearing somewhat mystical and abstract. However, it advocates for promoting the spirit of the dragon and encourages people to follow the norms of the dragon's process of becoming, all of which have positive and realistic practical significance: it contributes to the improvement of human civility and moral cultivation, benefits the development of social civilization, and is conducive to the construction of a harmonious and inclusive society that "generates blessings."

Third, "Chinese Dragonology" has a rich and profound philosophical foundation. This is a characteristic that the author consciously imbues into their dragonology research within "Chinese Dragonology" by drawing upon their philosophical background and applying philosophical thinking. Philosophy, as a theoretical system composed of worldview, methodology, and values, enables individuals, through learning and philosophical training, to enhance their philosophical literacy. This allows them to gain broader perspective, foresight, and depth, enabling them to discern the essence of a phenomenon amidst its complexities, identify underlying laws through intricate processes, and uncover inherent values through factual analysis. Because of these functions and effects of philosophy, the author places the philosophy of the dragon in a primary position within the dragonology system, making it the first chapter of the entire book. It is evident that this arrangement by the author carries deep meaning. In the chapter on the philosophy of the dragon, the author systematically elaborates on the relationship between dragons and ontology, epistemology, and methodology. They also organize twelve pairs of philosophical categories concerning dragons, thereby constructing a philosophical system for dragons and providing philosophical tools for dragonology research. By utilizing these philosophical tools, the author empowers their own research. With the support of these philosophical tools, they have not only built a dragonology theoretical system that coherently integrates a grand and complete logical framework with rich and profound theoretical content but have also presented it in a work of five hundred thousand characters. Furthermore, this facilitates other dragonology researchers in using the philosophical tools of dragons to empower their own studies. In fact, the author's approach of leveraging philosophy to enhance research also holds positive inspirational significance and serves as a demonstration for research in other disciplines.

"Chinese Dragonology" is a comprehensive and voluminous work filling a vacuum in the field of dragonology. It is bound to have shortcomings, omissions, and inadequacies, but these are issues the author should address in future revisions and re-editions. It is believed that these will be rectified in the author's future revisionary work, and it is unnecessary to be overly critical at present.

(Published in "Shaanxi Workers' Daily" on September 14, 2025, page 2)

Wang Kaimo, a professor at Northwest University of Political Science and Law, formerly served as the Dean of the School of Politics and Public Administration. He also serves as the Executive Vice President of the Shaanxi Provincial Political Science Association, lectures on the Principles of Marxist Philosophy, and has authored multiple published works.

Pang Jin, expert in dragon and phoenix culture research, writer. Chairman of the Dragon and Phoenix International Federation, Honorary Chairman of the Chinese Dragon Culture Association, Director of the Chinese Dragon and Phoenix Culture Research Center, Senior Editor of Xi'an Daily. Member of the Chinese Writers Association, Director of the Shaanxi Provincial Writers Association, Special Researcher of the Shaanxi Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, Editor-in-chief of China Dragon and Phoenix Culture Network, Vice Chairman of the Canadian Association of Chinese Writers, Deputy Editor-in-chief of Canadian Xi'an-Ontario Publishing House. He studied at Shaanxi Normal University and Northwest University, holding a Bachelor of Philosophy and a Master of Literature. He began his literary creation and cultural research in the 1970s, publishing over 10 million characters of various works to date. He has authored more than 50 books, including “Theory of Creation,” "Chinese Dragon Culture" (Volumes 1-3), "Chinese Dragon Studies," "Chinese Phoenix Culture," "Chinese Auspiciousness," "Spirited Trees Swaying," "Commoner Generations," and "Collected Works of Pang Jin." He has received over 80 awards, including the first China Bing Xin Prose Award, the first Shaanxi Folk Art Mountain Flower Award, and the first prize for outstanding achievements in social sciences in Xi'an. He is honored as one of the "Top Ten Contemporary Figures in Dragon Culture." WeChat ID: pang_jin