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the dragon drawn in lines of light in its element's sky

Chinese zodiac

Year of the Dragon

The Dragon, the Earthly Branch 辰 (chén). Next: 2036, the Fire Dragon.

A dragon whose long body winds like a ribbon: a crest of spines along its back, antler horns, a flaming mane, an open jaw with long whiskers and four clawed legs.

Free, in your browser, with no watermark. Or play the dragon live on the template page with your own song first.

6 looks for the Year of the Dragon

Every picture below is the dragon in that look, as the visualizer draws it. Pick one to open it in Classic with the sign already set, add your song and export.

  • the dragon in the Starlight look

    Starlight

    The sign in starlight: a night sky and the Milky Way, a ring of stars a light runs round once a bar, and inside it a pen of light joining a star sign's own stars line by line, then drawing its figure round them as on an old star map (a Chinese sign's animal drawn star by star). The figure strides and swishes its tail, the stars twinkle with the high notes and a shooting star crosses once a loop.

    Make a Starlight video
  • the dragon in the Element Sky look

    Element Sky

    The sign's figure drawn stroke by stroke by a pen of light in its element's colours, then alive: legs striding, tail whipping, wings and fins beating, head lifting on the beat, in a sky made of its element: embers and flames for fire, ridges for earth, wind for air, waves for water, growing stems for wood, turning rings for metal. It is drawn again each loop.

    Make an Element Sky video
  • the dragon in the Zodiac Wheel look

    Zodiac Wheel

    The zodiac wheel in brass: the twelve signs of its zodiac round a dial that rests on yours, turns once round each loop and lands on it again, a rete turning inside with a star for each band of the music, and the sign's figure drawn at the hub while the wheel rests, moving to the song.

    Make a Zodiac Wheel video
  • the dragon in the Horoscope Card look

    Horoscope Card

    A horoscope card for the sign: its figure drawn in gold ink in a medallion and moving to the song, its dates or years, its element and ruler, and a line for fun (or your own words), a foil shine crossing the card once a bar.

    Make a Horoscope Card video
  • the dragon in the Neon Sign look

    Neon Sign

    The sign's figure as a neon sign on a brick wall: at the top of each loop the light runs along the tubes one after another, drawing the sign, then they hum with the beat as the figure moves, the sign's name lighting last in neon script below.

    Make a Neon Sign video
  • the dragon in the Your Sign look

    Your Sign

    A birthday card for your sign: a garland of star lights chasing the beat, confetti of little stars, the figure doodled on by a sparkler pen, then bouncing and striding to the song, and your greeting.

    Make a Your Sign video

About the Year of the Dragon

Earthly Branch
辰 (chén), the fifth of the 12 animals, from the Rat to the Pig
Its own element
Earth
Yin or yang
Yang
Next year
2036, the Fire Dragon, from Lunar New Year
The year begins
At Lunar New Year (late January to mid February), not on 1 January: a birthday in January or early February belongs to the year before

Years of the Dragon

Each with the element of its year, which turns through five in a sixty-year cycle; a year begins at Lunar New Year.

  • 1928 Earth Dragon
  • 1940 Metal Dragon
  • 1952 Water Dragon
  • 1964 Wood Dragon
  • 1976 Fire Dragon
  • 1988 Earth Dragon
  • 2000 Metal Dragon
  • 2012 Water Dragon
  • 2024 Wood Dragon
  • 2036 Fire Dragon
  • 2048 Earth Dragon

How the dragon is drawn and how it moves

At the top of each loop a pen of light draws the dragon stroke by stroke, in the order a hand would, then it comes alive with the music.

Its whole body rides a travelling wave, so it swims through the air, its legs paddling and its head lifting on the beat.

Each 8 second loop (the Loop length setting) holds 8 strides and 2 waves along its flowing lines: whole cycles every time, so a clip loops without a seam.

The dragon's horoscope card, for fun

The Horoscope Card prints one of these lines, written for this site to be played with and never a prediction. Variation picks another, and Your message puts your own words on the card instead.

  • Make an entrance worthy of fireworks.
  • Big dreams need a big soundtrack.
  • Your charisma could fill a stadium. Try it.
  • Fly high on the chorus and breathe fire on the drop.
  • Lucky, bold, unforgettable. Play it loud.

A Chinese zodiac year begins at Lunar New Year, and horoscope lines are for fun, never a prediction. Zodiac & Horoscopes template · How it works · Every zodiac sign