Emperor Qian Long and His Disbelief

Region: China
Time Period: Unknown
References in Literature: None
Sources: Legends and Lore

An old Chinaman in an opium den in Canton related this cautionary tale about believing dragons to be mythical:

• Not so long ago, Emperor Qianlong had reached a similar conclusion (that dragons are not mythical) and determined to put the matter to the test. Accordingly, he visited the famous Black Dragon Pool (Hei Lontan, generally reserved for the Empress), a little to the west of Peking, where offerings have been made to the resident dragon since time immemorial. Going to the water’s edge at the temple there, surrounded by his courtiers, he burned incense in the customary manner and cast offering into the pool, calling all the while to the dragon to show himself. All that surfaced among the lilies was a little water-lizard. The Emperor laughed aloud and cried: “Is this the mighty dragon to whom we make so many rich offerings? Why he’s lucky not to have been eaten by the carp!”
• The lizard raised one tiny foot out of the water, and this foot grew suddenly larger and larger until it hung like a canopy over the pool. Then it grew larger still until it covered the whole sky and its claws threatened to topple a distant mountain. The Emperor fell to his knees and begged the dragon to return to its former size, promising anything it wished in return. And when Qianlong had been suitable humbled, the dragon relented and resumed its customary abode in the depths of the lake.