The dragon is the universal emblem of China's cultural glory. As early as the Neolithic period, the Chinese considered this mythological creature to be an auspicious animal residing in heaven that provided rain and nourished life. By the late Bronze Age, the dragon was equated with the emperor, and in 221 b.c., Ch'in Shih Huang-ti, the great unifier of China and builder of the Great Wall, proclaimed himself to be a descendent of the dragon. From then on, virtually every ruler was referred to as the "The True Dragon, Son of Heaven," the Chinese court was known as the dragon throne, and official court garments were dragon robes.