The four Dragon Kings (龍王; pinyin: Lóng Wáng) are, in Chinese mythology, the divine rulers of the four seas (each sea corresponds to one of the cardinal directions). Although Dragon Kings appear in their true forms as dragons, they have the ability to shapeshift into human form. The Dragon Kings live in crystal palaces, guarded by shrimp soldiers and crab generals. Pinyin is a system of romanization (phonemic notation and transcription to Roman script) for Standard Mandarin, where pin means spell and yin means sound. The most common variant of pinyin in use is called Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: HànyÇ” PÄ«nyÄ«n), also known as scheme... Wang may refer to: Wang as a surname Titles in Chinese nobility A title in Korean nobility Wang Laboratories, a seminal computer company Wang River in Thailand Wang Film Productions An abbreviation for the town of Wangaratta, Victoria Wang is a slang term meaning to throw Wang it in the... Chinese Mythology is a collection of cultural history, folktales, and religions that have been passed down in oral or written form. ... Sea as seen from jetty in Frankston, Australia Look up Sea in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A compass rose showing the cardinal directions Cardinal directions or cardinal points are the four principal directions or points of the compass in plane. ... Chinese dragons The Chinese dragon or Lóng in Mandarin Chinese (Traditional Chinese: 龍; Simplified Chinese: é¾™; pinyin: Lóng; Cantonese Yale: Lùhng; Japanese: ryÅ« or tatsu ç«œ; Korean: ryong 룡; Thai: mungkorn มังกรจีน; Vietnamese: rồng) is a mythical Chinese creature that also appears in other East Asian cultures, and is also sometimes... Shapeshifting, transformation or transmogrification refers to a change in the form or shape of a person. ... Trinomial name Homo sapiens sapiens Linnaeus, 1758 Humans, or human beings, are bipedal apes belonging to the mammalian species Homo sapiens (Latin for wise man or knowing man) under the family Hominidae (known as the great apes). ... Quartz crystal In chemistry and mineralogy, a crystal is a solid in which the constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are packed in a regularly ordered, repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions. ... The quintessential medieval European palace: Palais de la Cité, in Paris, the royal palace of France. ... Superfamilies Alpheoidea Atyoidea Bresilioidea Campylonotoidea Crangonoidea Galatheacaridoidea Nematocarcinoidea Oplophoroidea Palaemonoidea Pandaloidea Pasiphaeoidea Procaridoidea Processoidea Psalidopodoidea Stylodactyloidea True shrimp are small, swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. ... Superfamilies Dromiacea Homolodromioidea Dromioidea Homoloidea Eubrachyura Raninoidea Cyclodorippoidea Dorippoidea Calappoidea Leucosioidea Majoidea Hymenosomatoidea Parthenopoidea Retroplumoidea Cancroidea Portunoidea Bythograeoidea Xanthoidea Bellioidea Potamoidea Pseudothelphusoidea Gecarcinucoidea Cryptochiroidea Pinnotheroidea * Ocypodoidea * Grapsoidea * An asterisk (*) marks the crabs included in the clade Thoracotremata. ...

Besides ruling over the aquatic life, the Dragon Kings also manipulate clouds and rain. When enraged, they can flood cities. According to The Short Stories on the Tang People (唐人傳奇 Tangren Chuanqi), the Qian Tang Dragon King did just that when he found out his niece had been abused by her husband. Qian Tang also ate the abusive husband. Cumulonimbus capillatus incus floating over Swifts Creek, Victoria in Australia A cloud is a visible mass of condensed droplets or frozen crystals suspended in the atmosphere above the surface of the Earth or another planetary body. ... Rain falling Rain is a form of precipitation, other forms of which include snow, sleet, hail, and dew. ... Look up flood in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Tang Dynasty (Chinese: ; pinyin: Tángcháo) (June 18, 618–June 4, 907), lasting about three centuries, followed the Sui Dynasty and preceded the Song Dynasty and the [Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period]] in China. ...

The Dragon King of the Eastern Sea (Donghai) is said to have the largest territory. According to ancient Chinese geography, Donghai (东海), literally meaning The Eastern Sea, is identified as the body of water east of the mainland. ...

Dragon Kings appeared commonly in literature. Detailed descriptions were given of the finery of their crystal palaces. In the Chinese classical novel Journey to the West, a Dragon King is one of the main characters in the tenth chapter. The four heroes of the story, left to right: Sun Wukong, Xuánzàng, Zhu Wuneng, and Sha Wujing. ...

• Dragon of the East: áo guǎng (敖廣)

• Dragon of the South: áo qīn (敖欽)

• Dragon of the West: áo rùn (敖閏)

• Dragon of the North: áo shùn (敖順)

Temples

There are numerous temples dedicated to Dragon Kings in China. One temple in Beijing was built during the Yuan Dynasty and renovated in the early 21st century. Chao-Tian Palace (朝天宮) of Beigang Township (北港鎮), Yunlin, devoted to the Goddess Mazu, also has human-shaped statues for the four Dragon Kings, each riding on a dragon. In contrast to the Dragon Kings, Mazu, although also a deity of sea, is a motherly figure who never wreaks havoc. The word temple has different meanings in the fields of architecture, religion, geography, anatomy, and education. ... Beijing [English Pronunciation] (Chinese: 北京 [Chinese Pronunciation]; Pinyin: BÄ›ijÄ«ng; IPA: ), a city in northern China, is the capital of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). ... The Yuan Dynasty (Chinese: ; pinyin: Yuáncháo; Mongolian: Dai Ön Yeke Mongghul Ulus) lasting officially from 1271 to 1368. ... The 21st century is the present century of the Gregorian calendar. ... Yunlin County (雲林縣, pinyin: Yúnlín Xiàn) is a county in Western Taiwan. ... Matsu (媽祖, pinyin: Māzǔ, Wade-Giles: Ma-tsu, lit. ... Faces of mother and child; detail of sculpture at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois, USA. Female mallard duck and ducklings A mother is the biological or social female parent of a child. ...