Chinanews, Lanzhou, Nov. 20 – Loong is a symbol of Chinese culture and it embodies Chinese people's spirit. It also links Chinese people together spiritually. The legendary animal has been worshipped in China for more than 8,000 years now.The conclusion was made by experts who attended the China Loong Culture Forum held in Lanzhou, Gansu Province, recently. About one hundred historians attended the 37-day forum.Gansu is said to be the birthplace of Fuxi and Nuwa, who were considered as the legendary rulers of great antiquity. It is also viewed as the originating place of the Chinese Loong culture. In 2004, the first theme park that focused on Loong culture was set up in Lanzhou. In this park, people can learn a lot of knowledge about Loong culture through various carvings, paintings, papercuts and garden works inside the park.According to historical accounts, Loong was a totem for ancient Chinese civilization. Its changing form well reflects the changing history of the Chinese civilization. In ancient times, basing on the shape of snakes, Chinese people created an animal called “Loong” by combining the features of various animals together. From then on, they worshipped this animal and made it a totem of the Chinese people.In fact, the legendary creature “Loong” has been worshipped in China for more than 8,000 years now. It is said that in ancient times, all the pictures that bore images of Chinese ancient rulers, such as Fuxi, Nuwa, Huangdi, Yandi, Yao, and Shun, etc, were drawn in a way that resembled some features of this legendary animal. In China, the typical Loong culture contains elements such as unity, creativity and progress, etc.“Some Westerners might mistake Loong for dragon. Actually, the two animals are very different. In China, Loong is a myterious animal and it stands for justice and good luck, while in the Western world, dragon is often described as an animal that is ugly, evil and always creates troubles for others. In light of this, dragon should be better translated as ‘juegeng’(by sound)while the legendary animal loved by the Chinese people should be translated as ‘Loong’,” experts attending the forum said in their declaration.