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Opinion | How “dragon bones” shed new light on Chinese history and its ancient societies

Opinion | How “dragon bones” shed new light on Chinese history and its ancient societies

In October, Hong Kong authorities announced that fossilized dinosaur bones had been discovered on Port Island, a remote uninhabited island off the northeastern part of the special administrative region.

Paleoecologists believe that small bone fragments belong to the Cretaceous period (145-66 million years ago) and may be the remains of larger types of dinosaurs, including sauropods and ornithischians. A permanent exhibition of this rare find is planned.

Fossilized remains of extinct animals were discovered long before the modern period. People in the pre-scientific era were likely to be puzzled or even afraid of the bones or skeletons of creatures whose configurations and sizes were unlike anything they had ever seen in their lifetime.

The remains of the skeletons of dinosaurs and other giant prehistoric animals may have given rise to legends about dragons and other scary creatures in many cultures around the world.

For a long time until the 20th century, the Chinese used animal fossils as medicine, referring to bones such as long guor “dragon bones”.

According to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), dragon bones have pain-relieving and calming effects. They were crushed and used to relieve headaches, dizziness, excitement and frequent dreams. They have also been used to treat malaria and inflammation.