The Chinese painting of the zodiac sheep is a textbook created by Mr. Hu Yude.
Sheep has been a profound beast in traditional Chinese culture since ancient times. In the eyes of the ancients, sheep was not only a symbol of "auspiciousness", but also a representative of family wealth. According to the "Shuowen" written by Xu Shen of the Eastern Han Dynasty, it is recorded: "Sheep, auspicious." Since "sheep" and "xiang" are synonymous, and "auspicious" means "auspicious", people are Xi to engrave the auspicious language of "Daji sheep" on utensils, accompanied by sheep pattern images, in order to live auspicious and everything is satisfactory.
In the social life of that time, in order to seek auspiciousness and shelter, people would cast "auspicious sheep" inscriptions and sheep-shaped patterns on the bronze ware used daily. In addition, in order to seek peace after death, people also placed the image of a sheep's head on the door when building a tomb**. For example, the tomb door of the Han mural tomb in Luoyang, Henan Province is molded with a sheep's head facing the face, a pair of big horns left and right scrolls, and the composition is regular;The lower side of the sheep's head is painted with a mural of the god tiger eating the female fish, in order to seek peace and drive away evil spirits.
In ancient times, the richer the family, the more domestic animals and poultry were naturally raised. In the Han Dynasty, people died as if they were alive, and in order to simulate the sheep raised by the family when they were born, they buried the sheep model in the tomb. This Xiao-shaped pottery sheep has been unearthed in the tombs of the Western Han Dynasty and the Eastern Han Dynasty.
Overall, the sheep has a profound influence in traditional Chinese culture as a symbol of "good luck" and family wealth. Whether it is the inscriptions and patterns on the utensils, or the pottery sheep model in the tomb, it reflects the pursuit and belief of the ancients in auspiciousness, serenity and wealth.