Do you know the story of the carp that leapt through the Dragon Gate (鯉躍龍門)?

It is said that in ancient times there was a huge gate, called Lóngmén 龍門, ‘the Dragon Gate’, so vast that it could not be taken in at a single glance.

One day, a carp swam up to it but could not pass through. After countless attempts, it finally succeeded, only to find itself transformed into something else. Its scaly body grew considerably longer, two horns resembling deer antlers sprouted from its head, and four legs with falcon’s talons grew. It was able to soar into the heavens and then plunge into the abyss. It was also able to command the winds and the rains. And so it was that the little carp was transformed into a dragon.