Circular Dragon Eaves Tile
This tile was found in the débris near the Ming Tomb of Nanking. The body of Chu Yuan Chang, the founder of the Ming dynasty and the only emperor buried in the imperial cemetery east of Nanking, was interred about 1399. This tile is of dark yellow porcelain, eight inches in diameter. It is probably five hundred years old.
[[36]]
Chien Lung Vases
These two dainty porcelain vases of the Chien Lung period were “burned” a little over one hundred years ago. The paws of the dragon each contain five claws. Creamy clouds and red flames of fire fill in the background, while conventional green waves decorate the base.
[[37]]
As an explanation for the disappearance of the dragon in these three instances the writer notes two facts. The dragons in each case were seen on the banks of great rivers and in each case disappeared after a heavy rain. Might it not have been that the monsters were in reality not dead but only unconscious, and that the heavy flood washed the creatures back into the river whence they were carried out to sea? [[38]]