Introduction to the content of auspicious animal patterns in traditional Chinese art

China is the hometown of the dragon, and the Chinese claim to be the descendants of the dragon. Dragon-related art embodies the artistic imagination and creative wisdom of the Chinese people for thousands of years. These dragon patterns mainly come from the rubbings of cultural relics, buildings, and utensils unearthed in the past dynasties, as well as the fine copying of murals and clothing. The book collects more than 300 dragon patterns and more than 30 color pictures. Each picture plate is accompanied by the age, source and text description, which has great aesthetic application and research value.

Fragment:

There is a legend that "nine sons are born, but they all have their own interests": the eldest son "Qiu Niu" is good at music, the second son "Yai Zhu" is good at killing, and the third son "mockery" "Wind" is dangerous, the fourth "Pulao" is good at singing, the fifth "Suanni" is good at sitting, the sixth "Baxia" is good at carrying heavy loads, the seventh "狴犴" is good at lawsuits, the eighth "Bixi" is good at writing, and the old is good at writing. Nine "chi kisses" are easy to swallow. Later, the prisoner ox is the carved beast on the head of the Huqin, the 睝禦 is the dragon swallowing mouth on the handle of the knife, the mocking wind is the beast on the corner of the palace platform, the Pulao is the animal button on the bell, and Suan is the animal button on the bell. The lion is the lion on the Buddha's seat, the turtle is the turtle on the base of the monument, the zodiac tiger is the head ring on the prison door, the dragon is the dragon on both sides of the stone monument, and the chi kiss is the dragon kiss on the backbone of the palace.

Another saying is that the "Nine Sons of the Dragon" are: Pulao, Bifan, Yaizhen, Bixi (shaped like a turtle, good at carrying heavy loads, and later became a tortoise under the stone tablet), Chiqi (shaped like a beast, good at hoping, Later it became the animal head on the house), Taotie (good food, standing on the lid of the cauldron), Chongba Chong (good for water, so stood on the bridge pillar), Jin Ni (shaped like a lion, good at fireworks, so stood on the incense burner), Jiaotu ( The legend of "the dragon gave birth to nine sons" was circulated earlier among the Miao people, but the content is slightly different. It means that the dragon gave birth to nine sons, and the first eight were cowards. , only Lao Jiu

has the courage

The story of dragons

In folk literature and art, the image of dragon is often anthropomorphic, so it is well-known to every household. In terms of the image of the Sea Dragon King, some benefit the people and some harm the people. In many literary works, there are sea dragon kings with different good and evil characters and human-like characters. "Journey to the West" describes Sun Wukong going to the Crystal Palace to borrow weapons from the Dragon King. The plot of "Feng Shen Bang" describes the story of Nezha killing the Dragon King Prince Ao Bing who harmed the people. The Yuan Zaju "Liu Yi Biography" tells the story of Liu Yi, a scholar of the Tang Dynasty, who rescued the Dongting Dragon Girl in trouble and later got married. "Zhang Yu Boils the Sea" is a comedy in which the scholar Zhang Yu and the dragon girl resist the dragon king, boil the sea, and finally get married. People use these dragon myths to promote good and defeat evil and promote social values ??in the people's hearts. .

The belief that dragons can spread clouds and bring rain has been held for a long time in the Miao area. People hold pieces of green cloth above their heads with both hands and connect them to form a long dragon, symbolizing endless supply. The flowing water prays for a good harvest. In Han areas, regardless of the southeast or northwest, there are Dragon King temples, which were used to pray for good weather and a good harvest.

Activities about dragons

Because the dragon, a humanistic animal, represents the character, philosophical thoughts and life ideals of different groups of people in society, the dragon has always been a prop form of people's favorite sports and cultural activities, among which dragon boat races and dragon dances are the most common. It can be traced back to King Mu of the Zhou Dynasty traveling on a dragon boat through the canal. The lacquer coffin unearthed in Changtaiguan, Xinyang, Henan, has a pattern of the king riding a dragon boat. In order to commemorate Qu Yuan, people Dragon boat races are held on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar. As a result, the image of the dragon boat has also become the subject of decorative patterns in paintings and arts and crafts. There are documented records of the dragon dance in the Han Dynasty, and it can also be seen in the stone carvings of the Han Dynasty. Today is a grand and festive festival, and there are still various dragon dance performances.

Postscript:

Things have already appeared in primitive society. The artistic image of the dragon has been gradually improved through the long-term creation and decoration practice of the Chinese people. As a symbol of the traditional culture of the Chinese nation, the dragon reflects the creative talent and wisdom of the Chinese people. However, for a period of time, due to the simplistic and crude treatment of traditional national culture, dragon culture and art forms were regarded as feudal dross and rejected, and the losses were heartbreaking.

Although China's feudal rulers once used dragons to flaunt their lineage and identity, dragons have always been a widely circulated cultural and artistic theme in society and among the people. The people rely on their own wisdom, imagination and skills to create dragon art that is rich in national emotions and life characteristics or beautiful mythology. "Being able to draw dragons and embroider phoenixes" has always been the pride of Chinese folk women. Even the luxurious palace decorations embody the hard work of craftsmen and artists.

As early as five or six thousand years ago, China created the artistic image of the dragon in painted pottery, jade and other crafts. At that time, the belief in dragons had evolved from nature worship and primitive ancestor worship to a higher form of ancestor god worship. The history of feudal society is only more than 2,000 years old. It can be seen that the art of dragon has a long history and has been passed down from generation to generation without interruption. The images of dragons are also diverse and imaginary. People regard the dragon as a supernatural force, symbolizing happiness and auspiciousness. This view is deeply rooted in people's customs. No matter where in the world, as long as there are people of Chinese descent, the image of the dragon will naturally blossom and bear fruit.

This atlas compiles the representative dragon patterns in craft decoration into a volume in chronological order, and introduces the historical evolution of dragon patterns. Through specific images, we can also understand the similarities, differences and changes in decorative styles in various historical stages. As a reference for the modeling methods and processing techniques of traditional craft decoration.

There is a lot of work that can be further deepened in the research on dragon pattern art. Academic circles have done a lot of research on this. The editor's knowledge is limited and the book was written in a hurry, so errors and omissions are inevitable. I sincerely hope readers will correct me. Part of the photography and illustrations in this book are selected from Gong Ning's "Integration of Chinese Utensils and Patterns of Past Dynasties" (published by China Light Industry Publishing House, Taipei Nantian Book Company) and Pu Anguo's "300 Examples of Dragon Pictures" (published by China Light Industry Publishing House). I would like to express my gratitude.

Editor’s Note