The Chinese dragon takes its form from many different creatures. It's head is that of a camel; it's horns, that of a deer; it's eyes, that of a demon; it's ears, that of a cow; it's whiskers, that of a cat; it's neck, that of a snake; it's belly, that of a frog; it's scales, that of a carp; it's talons, that of an eagle; and it's paws, that of a tiger. The dragon has 117 scales, 81 under the influence of good fortune and 36 under the influence of bad fortune. Dragons are associated with rain, so naturally they are colored blue-green.
Dragons represent many things in China's religion. One of the first things dragons represented was the cardinal direction east. The opponent of the dragon, who represented the west, was the white tiger who also represented death while the dragon represented sunrise, spring and fertility. The dragon's importance is proved also, by its representation of an important element, water. Dragons also represent wisdom strength and goodness.