Key Points
- The 2024 Lunar New Year will usher in the Year of the Dragon.
- Experts say that unlike in Western culture, dragons are considered benevolent and regal in Chinese culture.
- People with the surname 'Long', which translates as 'dragon' feel a sense of honour with the connection.
Jian Hong Long was 19 when he moved to Australia from Hong Kong in 1962.
At the time, he said it was common for Chinese migrants to anglicise their names to avoid racism, especially as the White Australia Policy (1901-1973) was in place.
Long changed his given name, but retained his surname - pronounced "Lung" in Cantonese - which translates as "dragon".
"The writing [of my old name] is complicated and sounds dull. So, I changed it to Yong Xiong, meaning 'forever hero'. It sounds great," he told SBS Chinese.
"I didn't change my surname."
Lunar New Year in 2024 will usher in the Year of the Dragon, and the dragon is unique as it is the only mythical creature in the Chinese Zodiac.
It's believed that the name, Long, has a history dating back 4000 years with one of the earliest references being to a "dragon trainer" during the reign of the Yellow Emperor Huangdi.
Huangdi was one of the legendary Five Emperors and ruled from around 2697-2597 BCE.
I’m very honoured to have the surname of Long.
Yong Xiong Long
L to R: The Long family on a Gold Coast holiday in 1988 and Yong Xiong Long celebrated his 80th birthday in 2024. Credit: Yong Xiong Long
He hails from the Daliang Long clan of Shunde, whose ancestors originated from the Henan Province.
The dragon was regarded as a symbol of kingship and authority in ancient China, and synonymous with the ruling emperor, Long explained.
For example, the emperor’s chair was referred to as the "dragon chair" and their clothes were called the "dragon robes".
Long explained that his ancestors - the Daliang Longs - were given the name by the emperor, and it was regarded as a symbol of great honour.
The Daliang Longs were a famous local clan at the time, he explained, and the Qing Hui Garden in Shunde - one of the four popular gardens in Guangdong - was the residence of his ancestors.
L to R: Wing Hung Long with his mother in 1962 when he first arrived in Australia and the Long family in Shunde at Qing Hui Garden in 1980. Their ancestors are believed to have owned the property. Credit: Yong Xiong Long
"I told them it doesn't matter if you don't speak Chinese, you need to know that you're Chinese and your surname is Long," he said.
"That's something that can't be changed."
From East to West
The Gold Rush of the 19th century attracted a wave of migration from China to Australia, including Cheryl Horneman's great-grandparents, who carried the surname.
She said her great-grandparents arrived in Australia by boat from Guangdong and then settled in St George, a town 513km west of Brisbane, where they ran a butcher shop and market gardens.
Tragedy struck on the way to Australia when their son died but they went on to have three more children, the oldest being Ms Horneman's grandmother, Cissy Long, who was born in 1905.
L to R: Cheryl Horneman's grandparents, Cissy Long (L) and Bill Thurlow (R) in 1989. Cheryl Horneman (M), Cissy Long's handwritten recipe. Credit: Cheryl Horneman
"I was like 'oh, that's pretty cool'," she said.
Although she didn't take the surname, Horneman still considered herself Chinese and planned to travel to China with her uncle Billy Long’s descendants to find her great-grandparents' home.
I feel pretty special and proud that I'm a Long and I'm a Chinese person.
Cheryl Horneman
Cheryl Horneman's grandparents, Bill Thurlow (L) and Cissy Long (R), on their 60th wedding anniversary in 1987. Credit: Cheryl Horneman
"It makes you want to go there to find out more information about them and their relations that still live there."
Cheryl Horneman's great-grandparents and their three children. Credit: Cheryl Horneman
Chinese dragon culture Down Under
According to Chinese folklore, dragons are benevolent and kind, Mark Wang, CEO of the Museum of Chinese Australian History in Melbourne, said.
The dragon is seen in modern times to be a symbol of China, he added.
"It's a very honourable thing to be a descendant of a dragon.
If you’ve got a name like ‘Long’, you feel very special.
Mark Wang
Conversely, he said dragons in Western culture were often depicted as "angry and fire-breathing".
"There are more symbolic spirits in Chinese feelings of dragons, whereas the Western dragons are just beasts," he said.
Chinese people believe the dragon brings them good luck, says Chinese Australian history expert Mark Wang. Credit: Mark Wang
The parade has since become part of Lunar New Year celebrations nationwide, including Melbourne's Moomba festival.
Himself a direct descendant of a Gold Rush migrant from China, Mr Wang said he had dedicated his life to maintaining Chinese culture in Australia.
He brought back two Chinese dragons from Foshan, China, in 1978 and the 2000s, to Melbourne for the parade and the latter one will be performing in a parade in 2024.
"Many overseas Chinese people still feel the strength of trying to maintain their culture," he said.
"Chinese Australians are very proud to be 'keepers of dragons'.
"I am a dragon in the [zodiac] calendar."
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