4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "It's true. 蛟龙=古代传说中(所说兴风作浪,)能法洪水的一种龙. flood dragon, a mythical creature capable of invoking storms and floods. (various dictionaries). I have translated both these texts, the Weihai one and the folk story. Very interested in the comments. After looking into griffins, qilin, etc I realise there are two or three different contexts for these creatures viz 1 folklore and 2 architecture, design, heraldry etc. 搞的有一点混杂. Lance's comments relate very well to those texts. I like the idea of 'dragons' living in deep pools, because it preserves the flow of the language, and unnecessary to say flood dragons (because it is implied by the context). Or the idea that it might be 蛟与龙 in the pools as a generic category. This is an idea which occurs to a non-native but it is nice to have a native speaker's corroboration. Also the feedback on the first text, which coming from a tourist guide, I think is written for people of taste and discernment (it seems to me that is a characteristic of tourist guides), it seems likely that it is referring to the branch being shaped like the jiaolong design motif, as used in the decorative arts, the discerning reader would be able to visualise it easily? I am just guessing. 古诗赞其为? -> a lot of these poems alluded to can be found on Google, but not this one. 非常感谢! "