The whole hall was instantly lit by the pearl. From the innermost room of her palace she took out the bright pearl, placed it on a golden tray and carried it carefully to the center of the banquet hall. So she unfastened nine keys from her girdle and unlocked the nine doors one after the other. The gods and goddesses all said to her, вЂњMay your fortune be as boundless as the East Sea and your life last long like the South Mountain!вЂќ The Queen Mother was excited and, on a sudden impulse, declared, вЂњMy immortal friends, I want to show you a precious pearl which cannot be found either in Heaven or on earth.вЂќ She prepared a grand feast, entertaining her guests with nectar and celestial peaches, the fruit of immortality. On the birthday of the Queen Mother, all the gods and goddesses in Heaven came to her palace to offer their congratulations. They continued their unhappy search day and night, hoping to recover their treasured pearl. Jade Dragon looked into every nook and cranny at the bottom of the Celestial River, while Golden Phoenix combed every inch of the sacred mountain, but in vain. Frantically, they searched high and low for it. When Jade Dragon and Golden Phoenix woke up in the morning they found the pearl gone. She would not show it to anyone, but immediately hid it in the innermost room of her palace, to reach which one had to pass through nine locked doors. When the guard came back with it, the Queen Mother was very pleased. She sent one of her guards to go in the middle of the night to steal the pearl from Jade Dragon and Golden Phoenix while they were fast asleep. Overwhelmed by the sight, she was eager to acquire it. One day the Queen Mother of Heaven left her palace and saw the brilliant rays shed by the pearl. Trees became green all the year round, flowers of all seasons bloomed together and the land yielded a richer harvest. So they settled down on the fairy island guarding the pearl. Neither wanted to go back to the cave and the forest. They had become attached to each other and both loved the pearl dearly.

Gradually the ball turned into a dazzling pearl. They sprinkled and washed the ball with dew and water. In high spirits Golden Phoenix flew to the sacred mountain to gather dewdrops and Jade Dragon carried a lot of clear water from the Celestial River. They carved the pebble day after day, month after month, until they finally made it into a perfect small round ball. Then they started working on it, Jade Dragon using his claws and Golden Phoenix her beak. вЂњLetвЂ™s carve it into a pearl,вЂќ said Jade Dragon. вЂњLook, how beautiful this pebble is!вЂќ Golden Phoenix said to Jade Dragon. There they found a shining pebble and were fascinated by its beauty. One flew in the sky, while the other swam in the Celestial River. Leaving their home every morning, the dragon and the phoenix met each other before going their different ways. In the great forest across the river lived a beautiful Golden Phoenix. Long, long ago there was a snow-white Jade Dragon, living in a rock cave on the east bank of the Celestial River. However, there is a popular folktale which is told as follows: It is actually a large pearl and there are different interpretations of what the pearl signifies. Often you see the dragon depicted with a ball. The Chinese Dragon and Phoenix Pearl Folktale It is common today to see the dragon and phoenix pair together at weddings. The symbolism of a dragon and phoenix together also represented a blissful marriage. As emperors were adorned with dragons, their empresses and surroundings were decorated with phoenixes. The phoenix represents high virtue and grace. This also symolized the union of yin and yang. Overtime, the words were merged (fenghuang) and represented only the female as dragons were predominantly used to represent males. The Chinese phoenix once had a male phoenix (feng) and female phoenix (huang). It has the head of a camel, demon eyes, horns of a stag, claws of the eagle, tiger paws, cow ears, beard from a goat, neck from a snake, belly of a clam, scales of a carp, and a tail of a fish. The Chinese dragon is different than other mythological dragons as its body is formed by a combination of other animals. Therefore, having a child in the year of the dragon was very much desired. Being associated with the dragon means a person is excellent and outstanding. Chinese emperors had dragons throughout their kingdom from their robes and beds to their throne. It symbolizes power, strength, and good luck. In Chinese culture, the dragon is a kind mythological animal representing auspiciousness.

Chinese symbol for female phoenix