Original Text
Among the common folk, it is said that dragons draw water from rivers and lakes to bring rain—a claim that leaves one half in belief and half in doubt. Xu Dongchi once traveled to the southern regions, and as his boat anchored by the Yangtze River, he beheld a dark dragon descending from the clouds, dipping its tail to churn the river's waves, causing the waters to surge and rise along the dragon's body up into the heavens. Gazing from afar, the water shimmered brightly, broader than a bolt of white silk twelve zhang in width. After a time, the dragon withdrew its tail, and the waters instantly calmed. Soon thereafter, a torrential downpour poured forth, flooding every ditch and road.
Commentary
A dragon whirlwind is a powerful vortex of wind that forms under extremely unstable weather conditions, generated by the intense convective motion of two air currents, manifesting as a rapidly rotating funnel-shaped cloud column. The phenomenon known as 'dragon drawing water' is in fact a type of what we now call a tornado. Its appearance is peculiar: the upper part is a mass of pitch-black or dark gray cumulonimbus cloud, while the lower part extends to the water surface as a funnel-shaped cloud column resembling an elephant's trunk, spinning and moving as it draws water from lakes or seas into the air, forming a towering water column as if it were being sucked into the sky. Since tornadoes often occur in the afternoon or evening when light is dim, people with a dragon totem consciousness in China tend to associate it with the legendary dragon.
This piece is a rare work of textual research and analysis within Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. As for such investigation, Pu Songling heard it recounted by Xu Dongchi, and strictly speaking, it too is but hearsay. Even if Xu Dongchi witnessed it himself, it does not necessarily follow that 'seeing is believing.' Yet as a literary composition, this text is written with a sinuous grace and concise clarity.