Dragon Seed Author:Pearl S. Buck A chinese peasant farmer and his wife and three sons. The enemy invaded their village and their old life was shattered. In grief and desperation, the family fights back. They organized a resistance movement, built a secret arsenal and killed the enemy whenever they could. Written with the compassion and insight charateristic of The Good Eart... more »h, this story powerfully evokes the brutality and senselessness of war.
To the Chinese the dragon is not an evil creature, but is a god and the friend of men who worship him. He "holds in his power prosperity and peace." Ruling the waters and the winds, he sends the good rain, is hence the symbol of fecundity. In the Hsia dynasty two dragons fought a great duel until both disappeared, leaving only a fertile foam from which were born the descendants of the Hsia. Thus, the dragons came to be looked upon as the ancestors of a race of heroes.