This Children’s Book is Bringing Chinese Lore to Life for Lunar New Year

Inspired by her own students, one New York teacher wrote a bilingual children's book to celebrate a cultural symbol that's often misunderstood outside of China.

As Lunar New Year celebrations approach, one Mandarin teacher hopes to deepen children’s understanding of a cultural symbol often misunderstood outside of China: the loong, a transliteration of the Chinese word “龙” that is commonly translated in English as ”the dragon”.

Cynthia Li, a Mandarin educator with more than a decade of teaching experience, recently published a bilingual children’s book, “I’m a Loong, Not a Dragon,” to help bridge that cultural gap.

Born and raised in Inner Mongolia, Li moved to New York City in 2012 to pursue graduate studies at New York University. After graduating, she began teaching Mandarin in New York City public schools before moving to Long Island’s North Shore School District, where she has continued teaching for over 11 years. Her background in foreign language teaching and TESOL has shaped her belief that language learning is inseparable from cultural understanding — a philosophy that eventually led her to write children’s books.

The idea for “I’m a Loong, Not a Dragon” grew directly out of Li’s classroom. Every year around Lunar New Year, Li celebrates the festival with her sixth-grade Mandarin students, many of whom have studied the language since kindergarten. When she asks her students what they know about the holiday, a recurring misconception often emerges: that Chinese people observe the holiday by setting off firecrackers to scare away a dragon.

“That’s not actually true,” Li said. “They [elementary school teachers] must have explained the difference between loong and the mythical beast Nian that people try to scare away. But kids don’t usually remember the explanation. They will remember stories instead.” Realizing that storytelling might be the most effective teaching tool, she began crafting a narrative that clarifies the distinction in a fun, accessible and hopefully memorable way.

The resulting book, aimed at children ages 4 to 12, features six student characters inspired by her real pupils — most of whom are not of Chinese heritage. With their parents’ permission, Li incorporated their personalities into the story and worked with an illustrator who referenced their childhood photos to create authentic character designs. The book, which takes place in a classroom setting, allows readers to learn alongside the students as they encounter a friendly loong and discover how it differs from the fire-breathing dragons common in Western folklore.

For Li, the distinction matters far beyond mythology. In Chinese culture, the loong symbolizes luck, hope, strength, and blessing. Many Chinese people even describe themselves as “descendants of the loong.” Confusing it with Western dragons — often portrayed as destructive villains — can distort perceptions of Chinese cultural identity, said Li.

“If you don’t understand that difference, you might interpret an important Chinese cultural symbol in a negative way,” Li explained. “That misses the spirit of what it represents.”

The book also addresses cultural confidence, particularly among Chinese American children. Li recalled a former student of Asian heritage who resisted learning Mandarin because he felt that not speaking Chinese might make him seem “less Asian and more similar to the other kids”. The experience left a lasting impression.

“It was so sad at that moment when I heard about it. That made me realize some kids may feel their culture is inferior simply because they don’t fully understand its beauty,” she said. “If they can explain something cool about their own culture to others, it helps them feel proud.”

To reach both heritage learners and non-Chinese readers, Li wrote the book first in English while weaving in cultural lessons organically through classroom interactions, humor and visual storytelling. The 32-page book, about 1,000 words long, avoids heavy exposition; instead, crucial cultural details emerge through moments such as when students notice that loongs don’t have wings or, when they expect fire, instead only see water.

Published on Jan. 20, Li intentionally timed the book’s release around the Lunar New Year. “For this story, particularly, it is relevant to the Lunar New Year because Loong was summoned by the kids when they were celebrating the Lunar New Year,” Li explained. “It is the time when Chinese culture is being discussed the most, and the people will be more interested in learning about our culture.”

The book is also available in simplified and traditional Chinese. Li said she knew the bilingual market might be smaller but felt strongly about supporting Mandarin teachers worldwide. She has already distributed more than 100 free e-copies to Mandarin teachers around the world, including in the U.S., Germany, Thailand, China, the United Kingdom, Canada, Singapore and Australia.

The year-long process of producing the book involved revisions, feedback from friends and students, illustration work, printing and distribution. The writing itself, she noted, came naturally; marketing the finished book has proved more challenging. To increase visibility, she has arranged school visits, donated copies to libraries and connected with teacher networks.

Early reader responses have been encouraging. Parents and educators have praised the book as engaging, culturally informative and accessible to children from diverse backgrounds. “This was a really sweet and thoughtful read. I loved how it explained the idea of the Loong in a fun, easy way, and the classroom setting made it very relatable,” One reader wrote in an Amazon review. “A great book for kids – and for adults like myself too!”

Looking ahead, Li plans to expand what she calls the “Loong’s Legend” series. A second book, already written, will focus on Mid-Autumn Festival traditions while continuing to explore cross-cultural understanding.Ultimately, Li hopes her work contributes to broader recognition of the loong — even though the term has been mentioned in many news articles, including national stories, it is not included in any formal English dictionaries. “It is my dream that someday it will be a real English word included in formal dictionaries, and we can all say it and be proud of it,” said Li.

link: https://documentedny.com/2026/02/12/lunar-new-year-childr/

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