Exploring the mystique of the 'loong'

April 20 marked the 15th United Nations Chinese Language Day. In celebration of this occasion, a group of international students from Shenyang University of Chemical Technology gathered for a special extracurricular activity to explore the Chinese character for "dragon" — "loong".

The special lesson took place at a cultural studio in the Laobeishi area of Shenyang, Northeast China's Liaoning province. During the session, Zhang Zhenzhong, an instructor at the studio and a member of the China Calligraphers Association, demonstrated more than 10 forms of the "loong" character, spanning from jiaguwen, the oracle bone inscriptions — China's earliest documented font — to kaishu, the standard calligraphic script commonly used today.

According to Zhang, the character "loong" was selected for this event because this year is the Year of the Dragon, and "loong" is a Chinese national totem. In fact, Chinese people often refer to themselves as descendants of the "loong".