Is This Real Footage of a Dragon in China?

A YouTuber has posted eerie footage of what appears to be a dragon flying through the air in China. The unidentified winged creature resembles the fire-breathing menace of legend to an unsettling degree, but many skeptics have been quick to discredit the footage.

In the clip, the “dragon” can be seen looming large against a cloudy backdrop as it flaps its large, leathery wings and flicks its long tail. ApexTV, the YouTube channel that uploaded the footage, claims that it was obtained by “a man in China near the border of Laos.”

The video only lasts thirty seconds and does not show the mysterious creature doing anything other than simply flying.

Naysayers believe that the video is the product of deceptive editing, especially given the lack of contextual information. Users have pointed out that the dragon looks too detailed and sharp in relation to the grainy footage of the clouds around it.

The footage has also sparked a number of conspiracy theories. One of them claims that the dragon is actually a mechanical creation that represents a group of scientists and engineers trying to artificially replicate the aerodynamics of bird flight.

Yet others simply want to believe that there is still magic and mystery in the world, and have pointed out that China – known as the Land of the Red Dragon – is the perfect place for such a sighting.

What do you think: fact or fiction?