Water Dragon

• 9" tall by 7.5" wide
• 112 pages, counting both sides
• Hot press watercolor paper

In Vietnamese culture, the dragon (Rồng) is revered not just as a symbol of power and strength, but also as a bringer of rain and water, essential for life and prosperity. The dragon is believed to control the waterways, ensuring that the land is nourished with life-giving rain, a vital force for the growth of crops and the wellbeing of the people. This connection to water elevates the dragon to a status of divine protector, watching over the harvests, ensuring abundance, and safeguarding the land.

I included the Chinese symbol for water on the etching, as the Vietnamese used to have to use the Chinese language and alphabet before the French came in and tried to colonize Vietnam.  Since the French, the Vietnamese have a phonetically-written language and very few can read any Chinese at all! However, it is important to note that "Viet" means "the people" and "Nam" means "south".  These are the people who fled China and went south--and declared their own nationality!