The dragon is deeply seeded in Chinese mythology and folklore. It is been depicted in art and architecture for centuries and used as a symbol of power by numerous Chinese emperors for dynasties.

The golden dragon yet is even more significant to the individual when it comes to the zodiac calendar. The dragon is one of twelve animals and gold is one of five elements. The year of the golden dragon occurs only every 60 years and is considered to be the luckiest of all years to be born. The last year was 2000.

It is significant that the golden dragon raised its’ head in 2015 in Oakland Chinatown. During the course of the year it was painted on walls all around Chinatown making a bold statement by claiming the walls and elevating Chinatowns visibility simultaneously promoting pride in the culture and celebration of the arts.

The organization behind this movement is the Dragon School founded by Luke known on the street as Doctor Dragon. He began making an appearance on both sides of the San Francisco bay in 2014 with his murals inspiring him to give to his community. With a small management team comprised of himself, Anderson Gin and Fuming Guerilla the Dragon School got off the ground working with young adults by first creating the gold and black lined dragons. The goal was to paint 99 in an area bounded by Jefferson to Oak and 6th St to 12th Street in downtown Oakland, Ca.

In 2016 they took their idea further and became a non-profit accepting donations. Concurrently they reached out to the Oakland artist community inviting them to participate as guest artists working with the young adults. You can see this collaboration by experiencing Chinatown. The golden dragons are slowly becoming colorized and replaced by colorful new Chinese themed murals.

We encourage you to visit their website to see how you can get involved in the project and find their location.

Website: Dragon School
Follow them on Instagram: Dragon School99