The First Dragon of China

The First Dragon of China was unearthed at the Xishuipo Yangshao Cultural Site in the west of Puyang County, Henan Province, in 1987.

On either side of the skeleton of an adult male in the middle of a tomb, there are elaborate dragon and tiger figures crafted from clam shells. The dragon is 1.78 meters long and 0.67 meters high. With its head raised, body arched and long tail stretched, it appears to be soaring into the sky, its front claws pawing and hind legs pushing off the ground.

The tiger measures 1.39 meters in length and 0.63 meters in height. Its head is slightly lowered, eyes wide open and mouth bared with visible teeth. The tail hangs down and its four limbs are positioned as if striding forward, resembling a fierce tiger descending a mountain.

These clam-shell dragon and tiger figures flanking the tomb occupant have been identified by archaeologists as the First Dragon of China.