Regarded as a national symbol for thousands of years, the dragon may not be suitable for the image* of China anymore, the Shanghai Morning Post cited a professor as saying on Monday.

Professor Wu Youfu, deputy president of the Shanghai Public Relations Association, said the dragon is seen as a symbol of arbitrariness* and offensiveness* in some Western cultures. The bias* of Westerners who know little about China’s culture may lead to a negative* effect on the country.

At the same time, Wu and his group are designing* a new symbol based on positive Chinese characteristics*. It is expected to depict the country’s geographic* and cultural variety and combine traditional theories with modern ideas.

He said the new symbol will show the Chinese people’s wish for harmony* and happiness, which are represented in some works of art such as the painting of “Riverside Scene on Qingming Festival.” The work vividly depicts* the bustling* everday life in the Northern Song (960-1127) capital of Bianliang (present-day Kaifeng) in detail.

The project is on file* at the Planning Office of Philosophy and Social Sciences of Shanghai.

Wu’s remarks have triggered* criticism* from some netizens*.

They argue the dragon is a kind of mysterious and saintly* animal, not a monster presenting arbitrariness. The dragon culture lasting for many generations shouldn’t be changed.

Some netizens think that the Chinese word “龙” shouldn’t be simply translated into “dragon” in English because the two don’t refer to the same thing. They suggest a better translation should be made.

Wu said yesterday that he didn’t mean to abandon the national symbol of dragon and his research is still in the preliminary* stage.

(SD-Agencies)