Dragons Soar in China – Jia Chen Dragon Year Zodiac Cultural Relics Exhibition

Date: December 31, 2023–April 7, 2024

Venue: Galleries 14 and 15

Content:

As we bid farewell to the fruitful Year of Rabbit and welcome the auspicious Year of Dragon, the CGCM has partnered with China Cultural Relics Newspaper Office to present a special New Year exhibition with the support of over 50 cultural relics institutions and museums. This event showcases hundreds of cultural relics and artworks featuring the auspicious Chinese dragon or loong. The Dragons Soar in China – Jia Chen Dragon Year Zodiac Cultural Relics Exhibition blends illustrations and cultural relics to reveal the Chinese nation’s enduring dragon culture.

In the section “On the Trail of Dragon – The Origin and Evolution of the Chinese Dragon’s Image”, we will reveal to the audience the origins and development of the Chinese dragon’s image. The earliest image of the Chinese dragon discovered in China, dates back to the Hongshan culture about 8,000 years ago. Over time, the dragon’s image has been continuously enriched and refined. It was during the Song Dynasty (960–1279) that the dragon gradually took its current form and was imbued with deeper cultural significance. By examining the evolution of the dragon’s image, visitors can catch a glimpse of the mysterious origins of Chinese civilization and gain insight into the long developmental journey of Chinese culture.

The section “Dragons Soar Across the World – Dragons in Historical Culture” focuses on showcasing the images of dragons in historical culture. The Chinese revere the dragon as the king of all creatures. They carve or paint dragon images on objects and adorn buildings with dragon motifs in the hope of receiving blessings from heaven. They even believe that the dragon can guide their souls to heaven after death. In addition, dragons frequently appear in literary classics, calligraphy and paintings. The worship of nature and the yearning for immortality have made the dragon one of the most important spiritual creatures in traditional Chinese culture.

“Descendants of the Dragon – Dragon in Folk Culture” presents visitors with images of dragons as depicted in folk art such as New Year paintings, paper-cutting, and embroidery. People also engage in folk activities like rowing dragon boats, praying for dragon rain, and performing dragon lantern dances to hope for a year of good weather and abundant harvests. Today, the Chinese dragon has become the most important spiritual symbol and bond of the Chinese nation.

As a fictional product of mythology, dragons do not leave any real traces for us to find. However, more than 200 million years ago on Earth, there existed a group of creatures “named after dragons”. These creatures were widely distributed across all seven continents, becoming the undisputed rulers of the Earth at that time. In Japan, a country deeply influenced by Chinese culture, scholars translated the term for these animals, “dinosaur” (meaning “frightening lizard”), as “恐龙” (literally meaning “scary dragon”), a term we are widely familiar with today. The section “Dance with Dragons – Return to the World of Dinosaurs” traces the story of this group of creatures “named after dragons”.