Carp is a lowly creature, not carrying the blood of dragons, but can turn into a dragon by passing Longmen (The Dragon Gate).
In Chinese mythology, Longmen (The Dragon Gate) is located at the top of a waterfall cascading from a legendary mountain. The legend states that while many carp swim upstream against the river’s strong current, few are capable or brave enough for the final leap over the waterfall. If a carp successfully makes the jump, it is transformed into a powerful dragon.
The Dragon Gate is located at the border of Shanxi and Shaanxi where the Yellow River flows through a cleft in the Longmen mountains, supposedly made by Yu the Great, who cut through the mountain.
In the records about the transformation of the Carp into a Long Dragon, it is also clear that it takes 500 years to transform into a Yulong (the carp dragon) first. After that, having to go through more than a thousand years of cultivation to transform into a true dragon is not an easy thing.
Many people think that the Carp turning into a Dragon is not too difficult, thought that the Snake has more difficulty in transforming into a True Dragon. So, the Carp that turns into a dragon has a very low status, while Snake turns a Dragon has a higher status. However, there are also many points that, Carp crossing the dragon gate is a difficult thing for thousands of years and no carp can do it.
Legend has it that in the land of Shenzhou, there is a large river named Yellow. The Yellow River flows from West to East like a winding Dragon. In the midlands of the Yellow River there is a mountain called Lougmen. An old story has it that, when Dai Vu ruled the water, he cut the mountain to let the water flow through the rock, creating a majestic scene. Because only Shenlong can cross that cliff, it is called Longmen. It is said that if a carp can jump across the Yellow River and cross Longmen, it will turn into a Dragon.
Longmen is a high cliff, the water flows like a waterfall, the waves are rushing. Carp can swim upstream of that majestic waterfall, but jumping over Longmen is even more difficult than going to the sky. It is said that from the day a carp turned into a Dragon, many other Carps on the Yellow River got excited and swam upstream to Longmen. Despite the fierce Yellow River, there were countless Carps that jumped up and jumped, and even if they fell, they would not give up. However, for many years, not a single carp could reach Longmen.
There are three waves that will appear when the carp reach the Longmen. Passing the first wave, the fish scales fell off, sprouting dragon scales. Passing the second wave, the four legs grew, and the body also elongated, a body that looked more like a dragon. Passing the third wave, the horns grow, the beard grows, the mane appears, the tail fin fully transforms into a Yulong (the carp dragon) and then flies to the sky.
📚 Explore more of the Mystical Creatures series here: Dive into the Enchanted Realms of Mythology
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