Chinese Long: a Shape Shifter
As I have said, the Chinese do not worship dragon. What is usually translated as “dragon” is actually Chinese Long. Though there is a detailed description of the Chinese Long’s appearance, it is worth noting that that is only the “complete form” of the Chinese Long. In other words, a Chinese Long may have other forms.
A quote from the Romance of Three Kingdoms gives an almost perfect expression:
A Chinese Long can assume any size, can rise in glory or hide from sight. Bulky, it generates clouds and evolves mist; attenuated, it can scarcely hide a mustard stalk or conceal a shadow. Mounting, it can soar to the empyrean; subsiding, it lurks in the uttermost depths of the ocean. This is the midspring season, and the Chinese Long chooses this moment for its transformations like a person realizing his own desires and overrunning the world. The Chinese Long among animals compares with the hero among people.
The Chinese Long is good at changing its shape. In time of adversity, it waits patiently in the background. When the right time comes, it’ll seize the opportunity to fulfill its ambitions. This is almost the ideal personality in Chinese traditional culture. So, Chinese Long is often used to refer to the really heroic figures.
Even when a Chinese Long is in its complete form, one may still be unable to see it in full. As we can see from the porcelain tray or this modern painting, the Chinese Long is often surrounded by clouds. (I can’t find the painter of this picture. If you know, please tell me. 
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In some cases, the Chinese Long will have the majority of its body covered by clouds, leaving only a few parts visible, such as a claw here and a scale there. There is even an old saying about it, “you can’t see the head and tail of a Chinese Long at the same time.”
We can also see how big a Chinese Long can be in the picture. While the Chinese Long soars in the sky, a mountains looks so small compared to it.
