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Carved imperial Chinese dragons atNine-Dragon Wall, Beihai Park, Beijing

Graoully, in Metz, France

A dragon is a creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that features in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern mythologies, and the Chinese dragon, with counterparts in Japan, Korea and other East Asian countries.

The two traditions may have evolved separately, but have influenced each other to a certain extent, particularly with the cross-cultural contact of recent centuries. The English word "dragon" derives from Greek δράκων (drákōn), "dragon, serpent of huge size, water-snake".

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External links

• Chinese Dragons in the news
• From Many Imaginations, One Fearsome Creature, New York Times, April 29, 2003