ANN/ CHINA DAILY – The Shanghai Museum is ushering in the upcoming Chinese New Year with an exciting exhibition titled ‘Longing for Spring: A Celebration of the Year of the Dragon’.
Launched in January, this exhibit features a curated selection of eight objects, including five from the museum’s own collection and three on loan from the Liaoning Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and Xi’an Museum.
The dragon, or long in Chinese, is the only mythical creature among the 12 Chinese zodiac signs. It has existed in legendary tales for millennia, recognised as a totem of Chinese nation and has long-held spiritual importance in China, according to Director of Shanghai Museum Chu Xiaobo.
The exhibition chose eight objects, covering dragons from the Neolithic period to the modern age, from abstract imagery to descriptive portrayals of the creature, said Deputy Director of the Exhibition Department of Shanghai Museum Chu Xin.
“We hope visitors will find the versatile representation of the dragon in Chinese culture to be imperatorial and solemn as well as vivid, cute and lovable,” she said. – Zhang Kun
