'' woodcut print by
Katsushika Hokusai,
Edo period According to tradition, a carp that could swim upstream and then leap the falls of the
Yellow River at Dragon Gate (
Longmen) would be transformed into a dragon. This motif symbolizes success in the
civil service examinations. The Dragon Gate is located at the border of
Shanxi and
Shaanxi where the Yellow River flows through a cleft in the
Longmen mountains, supposedly made by
Yu the Great, who cut through the mountain. According to one account, forceful water brought many carp down the river, and the carp could not swim back. The carp complained to Yu the Great. His wife, the
Jade Emperor's daughter, explained to her father on behalf of the carp. The Jade Emperor promised that if those carp could leap over the Dragon Gate, then they would become mighty dragons. Thus, all the carp competed at a yearly competition to leap the Longmen falls; those who succeeded were immediately transformed into dragons and flew off into the sky. Pictures of carp attempting to leap the
Longmen falls have been enduringly popular in China and other parts of Asia such as Japan (known as
Tōryūmon). There are other Dragon Gates (
Longmen) in China's rivers, typically with steep narrows, and the mythological geography does not depend upon an actual location. Many other waterfalls in China also have the name Dragon Gate and much the same is said about them. Other famous Dragon Gates are on the
Wei River where it passes through the Lung Sheu Mountains and at Tsin in Shanxi Province. The "flying carp" or "
silver carp" (
Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) is native to China and other parts of Asia. ==Idiom==