▁their ▁names , ▁but ▁all ▁versions ▁state ▁that ▁there ▁are ▁nine . ▁ ▁History ▁ ▁The ▁oldest ▁known ▁att est ation ▁of ▁the ▁children ▁of ▁the ▁drag on ▁list ▁is ▁found ▁in ▁the ▁Sh uy uan ▁zaj i ▁( , ▁Mis cell aneous ▁records ▁from ▁the ▁bean ▁garden ) ▁by ▁Lu ▁R ong ▁( 1 4 3 6 – 1 4 9 4 ); ▁however , ▁he ▁noted ▁that ▁the ▁list ▁enumer ates ▁mere ▁syn onym s ▁of ▁various ▁anti ques , ▁not ▁children ▁of ▁a ▁drag on . ▁ ▁Several ▁M ing ▁D ynast y ▁texts ▁list ▁what ▁were ▁claimed ▁as ▁the ▁N ine ▁Off spring ▁of ▁the ▁Dragon ▁( ), ▁and ▁subsequently ▁these ▁feature ▁prom in ently ▁in ▁popular ▁Chinese ▁stories ▁and ▁writ ings . ▁, ▁qu oting ▁ ▁X ie ▁Z ha oz he ▁( , ▁ 1 5 6 7 – 1 6 2 4 ) ▁in ▁his ▁work ▁Wu ▁Za ▁Zu ▁( , ▁ca . ▁ 1 5 9 2 ) ▁gives ▁the ▁following ▁listing ▁in ▁order ▁of ▁oldest ▁to ▁young est : ▁ ▁A ▁well - known ▁work ▁of ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁the ▁six teenth ▁century , ▁the ▁W uz azu ▁, ▁inform s ▁us ▁about ▁the ▁nine ▁different ▁young ▁of ▁the ▁drag on , ▁whose ▁shapes ▁are ▁used ▁as ▁orn aments ▁according ▁to ▁their ▁nature . ▁The ▁q i ú ▁ni ú ▁, ▁( Form ▁of ▁drag on ) ▁ ▁a ▁creature ▁that ▁lik es ▁music , ▁are ▁used ▁to ▁ad orn ▁musical ▁instruments . ▁The