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dragon appeared as a genre in painting during this period, from 960 to 1279. Kuo Juo-hsu,
in his "Record of Experiences in Painting," wrote that, "Those who paint
dragons divide them into three parts; from head to shoulders, shoulders to hind legs, and
then finally to the tail. Dragons have nine features (similar to other animals); horns
like a deer, a head like a camel, eyes like a spirit, a neck like a snake, belly like a
clam, scales like fish, claws like an eagle, paws like a tiger, and ears like an ox."
This became the set pattern for the form of the dragon. Consequently, the bodies of Sung
dragons often look like those of pythons as the tail extends almost as part of the trunk
of the body. The two horns on the head grow further back. The nose is also located back
towards the eyes, and the open mouth reveals rows of teeth. When the mouth is closed,
fangs are revealed. The mane appears like hair growing from the head and flows back
together, while the ears are rather small. Whiskers are few and the leg muscles are much
more developed. Scales only grow to the outside of the thighs. The number of claws range
from three to five, but three and four are more commonly found. |
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