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Role In Modern Folklore
Popular Culture and Stereotyping
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To the world outside Eastern Asia, the most exposure that people have with dragon depictions is through popular media. For example, the popular Japanese anime franchise Dragonball features magical balls that use the power of a dragon to cast wishes. Another well-known Chinese folklore tale that features dragons is Journey to the West, where one of the most featured characters is a dragon that can transform into a horse. As this is one of the longest and most popular stories of Chinese folklore, it has been repeatedly reproduced across multiple mediums over the years. From an exoteric perspective, including Eastern dragons in popular media can be seen as beneficial, considering how it keeps the folklore "relevant" to people who are not already knowledgeable about it. However, the problem with popular culture is that it usually does not explore the deeper cultural aspects of its subject matter, instead reducing characters and traditions to stereotypes to make them more digestible to a wider audience. Typically, media will usually focus on the Eastern dragons' association with nobility, reducing them to either the role of the wise leader/mentor or the mythical creature. In Western media particularly, they are also depicted as more aggressive and animalistic, which is more fitting to the dragons of European folklore. Finally, despite the nuances of dragon depictions between different countries across Eastern Asia, the Eastern dragon is usually condensed into a single version.
Continuing Traditions
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While not worshipped to the same extent as in the past, dragons are still treated with respect in the modern world. Many literature and mythological stories have been preserved over the Internet and in book collections, allowing the folklore to be passed down to the following generations. The temples for Dragon Kings that were once used for worship are now protected as cultural sites, where visitors can learn about their past history and experience a piece of folklore for themselves. Though rituals such as the dragon dance or the Dragon Boat race are not performed to bring rain for the harvest, they are still appreciated and enjoyed by thousands of people every year. It will be interesting to see how the portrayal of the Eastern dragon continues to evolve for in today's society.
