I participated in the company's project of the cascade plan in the Me Hka River basin in Myanmar since November 2005. Separated in June, August and November 2006, I spent three months deeply in the jungle area 50 to 80 kilometers north of Myitkyina (Kachin region). The most intriguing thing I have seen and heard was none other than the appearance of the "Myanmar Dragon".
The Ayeyarwaddy River (picture source: http://www.trekearth.com) Note: The Me Hka River originates from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China. In Yunnan Province, it is called the Dulong River, and after entering Myanmar, it is called the Me Hka River. It merges with the Mali Hka River 50 kilometers north of Myitkyina, forming the Ayeyarwaddy River.
Our main host was on November 10, 2006 (Friday). After discussing the construction site inspection matters in Yangon, we flew to Myitkyina. There were also engineers Zhou and Hu from the design institute. Engineer Zhou has been working in geology for twenty years and has very rich experience; Engineer Hu is an expert in geophysics and is over thirty years old. We met the commander of the Myitkyina military district at the airport and took a boat upstream in the afternoon to reach the camp about 80 kilometers north of Myitkyina.
The camp was built in a low-lying area by a large stream (to avoid being washed away by floods during the early flood season). The stilt houses and wooden houses are all made of high-quality local wood. After dinner, everyone gathered on the balcony of the wooden house, lit candles, drank wine, and chatted. Just as people began to talk about agriculture and life, ghost stories started. Because we were deep in the jungle, all you could hear was the sound of flowing water and various unknown insects and animals. The faint candlelight stretched and deformed our shadows on the rocks and trees of varying heights. Listening to ghost stories in such an environment was incredibly stimulating, making your scalp tingle, and a cold breeze would make you shiver involuntarily...
Sitting on the stilt house at this time, the Burmese guide said he wanted to tell everyone a strange story that he had personally experienced. The guide had dark skin, was strong, and his eyes bulged out of their sockets, which made people feel uncomfortable when looking at him, but he was a good person. His previously nervous mood suddenly became excited, spreading a feeling of fear and curiosity.
The guide said that two days before we arrived here, he was walking by the river when suddenly a huge creature crawled past him. Since it came from behind, there was no preparation, and he was really scared! And this creature was different from any animal he had ever seen. Its body was about 9 feet long (about 3 meters), like a python, with a flat oval tail, a mane on its head, and most uniquely, it had four legs, but it didn't use them to walk, instead slithering like a snake.
The guide said he was so shocked at the time that his mind went blank, and he didn't know what to do! And he said that was the dragon (Myanmar also has a dragon totem). I asked if it might be a monitor lizard, as all characteristics seemed to fit, but the guide was very sure it wasn't the same thing, and monitor lizards crawl with their feet while that creature had legs but used them more like decorations, not for walking.
Monitor Lizard (Picture source: http://www.baidu.com)
(Note: Monitor Lizard (Varanus salvator) Water monitor, Habitat: Rests near mountain streams in tropical and subtropical areas, adaptable to various environments. Diet and Food: Food can be selected based on available food in different environments. It can catch fish in the water and climb trees to search for food. Additionally, it eats frogs, snakes, birds, various plant eggs, mice, and insects. Identification Characteristics and Habits: One of the smallest types of lizards, total length can reach up to 2.5m. Its head resembles a snake’s, with a forked, elongated purple-white tongue that extends and retracts, similar to a snake's tongue, making it a highly sensitive sensory organ. The neck is long, allowing the head to move freely. They are combative, using their flattened heads as weapons, and lay eggs. Eggs are laid in riverbank holes or tree cavities near water in June, with each clutch containing 15-30 eggs. In captivity, the incubation period can last up to a year. Classification: Order Squamata, Suborder Lacertilia, Family Varanidae. Distribution: Southern Yunnan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan; Internationally distributed in India, Malaysia, Myanmar, etc.)
At this point, Engineer Hu spoke up, saying that there had been sightings of such "dragons" in the Lancang River region of Yunnan, measuring over a meter long and weighing 18 catties. There are also local legends about dragons bringing rain, saying that where they pass, heavy rain gathers. Thus, I became curious about it, watching layer upon layer of vegetation, with the winding stream disappearing into the dense forest. Hoping for a glimpse, could it be that China's traditional totem "dragon" actually exists! Is it just a variation of pythons or entirely a new species? Could it be nearby, watching these intruders? Would I be able to see its true form and capture its image?
That night, my thoughts were endless, but one thing was clear: I was already deeply intrigued by the "dragon," and as long as there was an opportunity, I would seek clues about it.
Me Hka River (Could the "dragon" be hiding nearby?)
The next day, apart from work, I began searching for traces of the Burmese "dragon." I walked 4 kilometers along both sides of the river and then ventured 6 kilometers into the jungle. Apart from finding some small lizards and elephant dung, I found nothing else. Everywhere on the mountain were leeches, and bites would cause continuous bleeding!
We stayed in the jungle for three days without spotting any trace of the "dragon." We only saw muntjacs, mongooses, and tame elephants with their owners riding into the forest to drag cut logs.
When we left the camp and reached the confluence of the three rivers, locals caught a strange fish, about 1 meter long, with a large head and sharp teeth. Everyone joked that it was the son of the dragon! As the saying goes, "A dragon has nine sons, each different."
Locals also caught a strange fish. (Note: The saying "a dragon has nine daughters" refers to the dragon having nine daughters, each different from the dragon. The so-called "dragon has nine sons" does not mean the dragon exactly has nine sons. In Chinese traditional culture, the number nine represents many, reaching the peak. Nine is a real number and also a noble number, so it is used to describe the dragon's offspring. The saying of the dragon having nine sons has been around for a long time, but there has never been a definitive classification until the Ming Dynasty when various versions appeared.)
One version of the "dragon has nine sons" comes from Li Dongyang's "Huai Lu Tang Ji" in the Ming Dynasty. The nine sons of the dragon are respectively: the eldest Qiu Niu (qiúniú), the second Ya Zhi (yázǐ), the third Chao Feng (cháofēng), the fourth Pu Lao (púláo), the fifth Suanni (suānní), the sixth Bi Xi (bìxì), the seventh Bi An (bì’àn), the eighth Fu Xi (fùxì), and the ninth Chi Wen/Chi Wei (chīwěn/chīwěi).
Afterward, we stayed in Myitkyina for some time. I examined some temples in Myanmar, and in these temples, there were many images of dragons. But I noticed that some dragons had legs, some did not, and some looked very similar to cobras! Locals also believed that the dragon's eyes were like bright white gemstones, with an intimidating aura, and that people or other creatures who looked into its eyes would lose their ability to move!
(After finishing, to be continued...)
Searching for the Myanmar Dragon (Part 2)
After returning home, I searched for related materials online and discovered a large number of records about dragons in ancient and modern China. I collected the following few:
● From the "Book of Later Han - Five Elements Records": A dragon fell onto the Wenming Palace.
This sentence is quoted in the Qing Dynasty 'Luoyang County Annals' as "Black like a carriage cover, moving swiftly in five colors," referring to the 'Former Han Book' more clearly.
In the late years of Emperor Guangwu's reign, on the Dingchou day of the sixth month, a black object fell into the western courtyard of the Wenming Palace in the southern palace. Black like a carriage cover, moving swiftly, it had a head and a body about ten feet long, resembling a dragon.
Emperor Guangwu was the emperor Liu Hong of the Western Han Dynasty, and Guanghe was one of the era names used during his reign. The Dingchou day of the sixth month of the first year of Guanghe corresponds to July of the year 178 AD. The capital of the Western Han Dynasty was located in the suburbs of present-day Luoyang City in Henan Province, and the Wenming Palace was probably the emperor's sleeping quarters. A large black object fell from the sky in the eastern courtyard of the Wenming Palace, resembling a square carriage cover. While moving quickly, it emitted five colors of light. It had a head but no visible legs, resembling a dragon but with a length of about twenty feet.
● From the "Yuan History - Five Elements Records": In the seventh month of the 27th year of Zhiyuan, a dragon appeared on Long Mountain in Linxi County, lifting a thousand-pound stone into the air.
In the 27th year of Zhiyuan, Linxi County is now located in Shandong Province. Although the appearance of the dragon on Long Mountain is recorded, its exact appearance remains unknown. However, its presence caused a thousand-pound stone to rise into the air.
● In the 24th year of the Eastern Han Dynasty, a yellow dragon appeared in Chishui in YanYang, staying for nine days before leaving. A temple and stele were erected in commemoration.
● In the first year of Yonghe of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (345 AD), April, a black and a white dragon appeared on Long Mountain. Prince Murong Chui led court officials in a ceremony held 200 steps away from the dragons.
● In local annals of the Ming-Qing Dynasties, there are frequent records of dragon sightings. According to the "Linzi Prefecture Annals", in the fourth year of Chongzhen (1631 AD), a giant dragon was sighted in Yilong Lake in Shiping County, Yunnan Province. "Its whiskers, claws, scales, and armor were fully intact, measuring several feet in circumference and tens of zhang in length." The appearances of dragons on Long Mountain and in Yilong Lake may not be coincidental. Otherwise, they wouldn't be named "Long Mountain" and "Yilong Lake"!
● The "Tang Year Records" records that on a certain day in the Datong era, a green dragon fell in Tongxiang County. Due to injuries to its throat, it died on the spot. The dragon was over ten zhang long, with its body and tail each accounting for half. The tail was flat. Its scales were similar to those of a fish, with horns on its head, whiskers over two zhang long, and legs under its belly with webbed feet.
● Lang Ying's "Seven Compilations of Drafts" records that in the final years of the Ming Dynasty, a dragon fell on the beach of Kuaiji County in Zhejiang Province and was beaten to death by fishermen. This dragon was about the height of a person, over ten zhang long, very similar to the dragon depicted in paintings, except that its back was white.
● In the 32nd year of the Southern Song Dynasty (1162 AD), a dragon was discovered by Taihu Lake. It had large scales and long whiskers, a white belly, blue-green scales, fins on its back, and prominent double horns on its head. The smell of its breath could be detected from several li away. The local crowd covered its body with mats, and the government sent someone to personally offer sacrifices. One day after a thunderstorm, the dragon disappeared, leaving behind a deep groove where it had rested.
● The "Yongping Prefecture Annals" records that in the 19th year of Daoguang (1839 AD) winter, a dragon descended in Yuanting County within the lower reaches of the Luan River, covered in flies. The local crowd built a shelter to protect it from the sun and continuously sprinkled water on its body. Three days later, in a light thunderstorm, the dragon left the area.
● On the evening of August 12, 1934, the "Shengjing Times" reported: "... When the dragon's body was exposed, there were three spikes on each side of its head, its spine was three inches wide, attached to the spine on both sides were ribs, each about five or six inches long, its head was shaped like a rectangular black bone, and its entire body consisted of twenty-eight segments, each about a foot long, totaling over three zhang in length. At the location where the dragon was, there was a soil pit two zhang wide and five zhang long, dug by its claws, with clear claw marks along the edge. By August 31, the dragon's bones still retained tendons..."
On the evening of August 14, 1934, the "Shengjing Times" recorded: "Dragon bones were recently discovered in the reed pond outside the original dock in Henan. Soon after, the Sixth Police Station transported them to the south gate of Zhonghai in Henan for public viewing, causing a sensation. Since the muscles had rotted, only the skeleton remained, raising doubts whether it was truly a dragon's skeleton. Discussions were widespread with no consensus. Recently, marine biology professors from the original dock's higher education school visited and determined it to be a type of python, likely stranded in the mud of the reed pond due to insufficient rainfall and thus perished."
● In August 1944, hundreds of people gathered on the sandy banks of the Songhua River in Fuyu County's Old Wall Village to watch a black dragon lying on the sand. According to eyewitness Mianyuan, who is still alive, the dragon was about 20 meters long. This creature resembled a four-legged snake, with a face similar to dragons depicted in paintings, sporting seven or eight fine and flexible long whiskers. The latter part of its body was about one meter in diameter. Its four claws were deeply embedded in the sand. Its entire body was covered in scales resembling crocodile scales.
Based on these records and the information about dragons I heard in Myanmar, I have found the following common characteristics of dragons:
1. Dragons generally appear in places with water, such as lakesides, seashores, and riversides, and may even die without water.
2. Their shapes resemble snakes, with claws, scales, whiskers, and sometimes horns. Their backs are often red, tails are flat, and their bodies range from 10 to 20 meters in length.
It is evident that "dragons" should be aquatic (or amphibious) creatures. I estimate they are one or several branches of dinosaurs, close relatives of crocodiles and snakes. Due to their rarity, they have not been seen by humans for a long time. However, I firmly believe that dragons are indeed living creatures! And possibly, some dragons still exist in remote areas of the world today.