Three of Nine by Chipka
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Description
I like a culture that reveres dragons—not as fire-breathing monsters, but as harbingers of luck, prosperity, and lurid, toothy grins. As I walked through Chicago’s southern Chinatown with Corey (in search of intriguing things and a vertical lift bridge) I noticed the Nine Dragon Wall.
In Chinese culture, dragons are quite lucky creatures, and the number nine is significant for reasons I have yet to learn. I know that according to some Chinese legends, there were once nine suns in the sky (eight too many) and a hero whose name I cannot recall, shot eight of them down as nine suns left the earth parched and inhospitable. Apparently nine is an ambigulous number in terms of that whole good/bad thing that mythology, legend, and folklore is so preoccupied with. The Nine Dragon Wall itself is rather diminutive, but like everything else in Chicago, harder to photograph than you’d think. It stands in an open space, but traffic, fences, and pedestrians continually block it. It is also built along deceptive proportions. It's larger than you think, but smaller than it appears. Try as I might, I couldn’t get all nine dragons into the shot I desired. They were infinitely cooperative, but the wall on which they were mounted was rather petulant. I thought I could handle petulant architecture, especially since my good friend, Exeter Carbuncle VIII lives on a particularly moody piece of Roman Catholic real estate. (He’s Zoroastrian, by the way, which leads one to wonder why a lapsed Zoroastrian chimera would work as a Roman Catholic ornament, but then Exeter is nothing if not quirky.)
At any rate, Corey and I wandered through the depths (and peripheries) of Chinatown with cameras in hand. I saw nine dragons, photographed three, encountered numerous, charming rats, and enjoyed tea billed as “delicious for modern people.” All of this spirals back to me as I sit with Corey, now, in a café on Halsted Street. Bland, “smooth” Jazz drips from the speakers as I write this; it leaves me wondering how and why the musical equivalent of Jello managed to catch on. Three out of nine dragons is a nice distraction from that, as I have it on good authority that they’re not too fond of smooth Jazz either.
As always, thank you for viewing, reading, and commenting, and I hope to catch up on all of the commenting and digital communication that's been lagging behind for the past month. Hopefully you're all having a great weekend.
Comments (23)
elfin14doaks
I like dragons! I have a really cool collection. My Dad and Dave bought me them. Cool Shot!
alessimarco
Very nice capture of these 3 of 9! I love the Chinese dragons, and have a silk of two dragons playing with a pearl, which I understand is a particularly good symbol of luck!
jocko500
this is wonderful looking. five claws means it a royal dragon.You had to be of royal blood to have a image of a dragon like that in China. also did you know that the Emperor of China had a royal Dragon keeper. make you wonder if they was real? Marco Polo reporded that fact. http://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+greatest+creator+is+God%3B+VIEWPOINTS-a0208763699 here the link to it
bmac62
Oh, man Chip. You've challenged some people here to help you figure out the whole 9 Dragon thing. I did a quick google...found a new, gritty, cigarettes and coffee crime novel with Hong Kong mafia ties, a massive role playing online game and at least a half a dozen Chinese restaurants all attached to "9 Dragons"...but nothing about why the number "9". But your recounting of how you came by "3 of 9" and when this picture was taken was most interesting. On that trip to Chinatown you and Corey were remarkably successful. Your photos from that long walk (didn't Mao do that too) have given birth to a whole raft of fascinating Chipka stories...let alone illustrations:) Anyway this is a fine photo of another landmark of Chicago's Chinatown...glad you went and have reported back on much of what you both found that day. Safe to say, there is more to come?
MrsRatbag
Smooth jazz eh? you sure you're not in a dentist's office? What a beautiful wall, fantastic detail and colour!
popeslattz
Wonderful dragon wall. Hope we get to see the other six. Also hope you "modern people" enjoyed your tea.
KatesFriend
Dragons are also wylie, you should remember that when you try to capture one or two or nine. It's a beutiful photograph Chip. The vibrant colours are amazing, something else the Chinese believe to be a sign of good luck.
watapki66
Very nicely done!
auntietk
I found a link that talks about Nine Dragons if you're interested in the symbolism. :) I love these three! The five claws on the nine dragons makes this a most auspicious and powerful representation. Emperor-level stuff! These folks aren't fooling around when it comes to good luck and power. Your image is such a riot of color and texture, motion and detail. Fascinating!
CoreyBlack
"Number Nine...Number Nine...Number Nine..." Even the Beatles realized that there was something to this "Nine" thing...it must be universal; there's that musical "Nine" which I never saw, then there's those nine lives cats are supposed to have. I could mention the Cat-o-nine-tails, but this is a family friendly site. Does baseball have nine innings? I wouldn't know about that. Then there was Seven of Nine in that catsuit, which makes me wonder if cats in suits have 18 lives, which is nine times two, which must mean something somewhere; so yeah, there's definitely something to this nine thing and leave it to the Chinese to come up with it. This is a very groovy shot. It's very busy in a good way.
helanker
This is a really beautiful wal indeed and you made an excellent shot. But i dont know anything about dragons, only that these chineese dragons look mighty beautiful.
beachzz
I was going to say something so clever, then I read what everyone else said,and then Corey comes up with the "Story of Nine". OH so clever me was going to say, "Petulant architecture and jello music---"and then something even more witty and cute. Now I can just say, great stuff, Chip!!
durleybeachbum
Quite apart from your rich and enjoyable narrative, the tiles are really interesting to the potter in me. They are hugely complex and quite difficult to make, and I wish I could HANDLE them! As to 'smooth' jazz, since I stop frequenting ballrooms ( which was a LONG time ago) a dance called American Smooth has emerged..I wonder if the two are related.
zulaan
Beautiful colors and details !!!
flavia49
fabulous caprure!!
BertDes
Beautiful colors. Good shot.
kgb224
Outstanding capture my friend.
sandra46
FANTASTIC SHOT!!!! I LIKE CHINATOWNS IN THE US, BUT HERE WE DON'T HAVE REAL CHINATOWNS. i LIVE IN A PLACE WHERE THERE ARE A LOT OF CHINESE, BUT WE LIVE ALL MIXED UP, WITH NO PARTICULAR ETHNIC FLAVOR...
jac204
It was a great weekend, thanks Chipka. Great image and narrative as always.
Alex_Antonov
Beautiful work!
myrrhluz
Like Bill I went off for a few to see what I could see about the Chinese and numbers. One thing I found was that numbers are considered, by some, to be lucky if their name sounds similar to the name of something desirable. In the case of number 9, it sounds similar to the word for 'long lasting'. I also found an interesting article about license plates, numbers, and auctions in China: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/04/world/asia/04iht-plates.2113439.html?_r=1 Wonderful image! I love how the dragons are all different and convoluted! The center one is excellent! He seems to have been busy when something caused him to whip around and stare. Here's my favourite # 9 ditty. Love Potion Number Nine (Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller) I took my troubles down to Madame Rue You know that gypsy with the gold-capped tooth She's got a pad down on Thirty-Fourth and Vine Sellin' little bottles of Love Potion Number Nine I told her that I was a flop with chics I've been this way since 1956 She looked at my palm and she made a magic sign She said "What you need is Love Potion Number Nine" She bent down and turned around and gave me a wink She said "I'm gonna make it up right here in the sink" It smelled like turpentine, it looked like Indian ink I held my nose, I closed my eyes, I took a drink I didn't know if it was day or night I started kissin' everything in sight But when I kissed a cop down on Thirty-Fourth and Vine He broke my little bottle of Love Potion Number Nine
Chaosphoto
when I saw this I instantly thought it was in Singapore as I am sure I have photographed the same ones there. They must get around a bit :)
Iceshark39
This is an absolutely outstanding capture. The colours are so crisp and vibrant! Wonderful bit of mythology too and thank you for sharing it. I can't help but feel that Western Cultures (and European mythos) have given dragons such a bad rap. Where in Asia the dragon is revered, honoured and portrayed in a much nobler light. Really wonderful capture.