Long Wang or Dragon King, king of the dragons and ruler of the waters in Chinese religion. Chinese dragons are traditionally regarded as water creatures, and the Dragon King lives beneath the waves in an immense palace, though for part of the year he rises into the sky; the appearance of the Dragon constellation in Chinese astronomy was supposed to herald the rainy season. He supposedly has particular power over rain, and even in recent times prayers have been addressed to the Dragon King in times of drought. There were traditionally nine kinds of dragons, each with dominion over different elements or aspects of the dragon's magical powers.
