This year is the Year of the Dragon, and museums are holding special exhibitions on the theme of dragons. Some time ago, the Museum of Ancient Pottery Civilization held an exhibition of "Jiaolong Chengxiang", which sorted out the changes of dragon patterns through archaeological discoveries of early dragon materials and dragon-related cultural relics hidden in the Museum of Ancient Pottery Civilization.
In the early Neolithic Age, 8,000 years ago, ancient people created the dragon with a variety of image characteristics and a variety of supernatural beasts with reverence and worship for nature.
Mr. Wen Yiduo once described the dragon as follows: "It is a totem, and it is a virtual creature that only exists in the totem and does not exist in the biological world, because it is a synthesis of many different totems. ”
In the lives of our ancestors for thousands of years, dragons have deeply influenced the Chinese nation. It has its presence on different materials and utensils. Nowadays, by looking back at cultural relics from different periods, we can see the development of dragon culture.
What was the earliest image of the dragon?
There are many theories about the origin of dragons, and according to statistics, there are seventeen opinions, and the most influential is Mr. Wen Yiduo's "snake body" theory. Judging from the archaeological findings, the dragons in the prehistoric ruins are either mysterious or naïve, and they vary greatly, but most of them are snakes, reflecting that this is the embryonic stage of dragons. The dragon pattern is rich in abstraction, basically maintaining the characteristics of a reptile, with a snake body and a beast head, showing mysterious power. In the ancient dragon pattern, also known as the "original dragon pattern", you can see the real thoughts of prehistoric people about dragons.
So, what was the earliest form of the dragon in the form of cultural relics? The Chahai site, located in the west five miles of Chahai Village, Shala Township, Fuxin Mongolian Autonomous County, Liaoning Province, gives people the answer.
Chahai site is a primitive tribal site in the early Neolithic Age, more than 8,000 years ago, it is called "the first village in China" by the archaeological community. In 1994, archaeologists found a nearly 20-meter-long stone vein in the excavation of the site, which was believed by Zhang Zhongpei, the former director of the Palace Museum, and Guo Dashun, an archaeological expert, to be the earliest image of a dragon found in China. Dean Zhang Zhongpei named it "Stone Pile Plastic Dragon". The total length of the "Stone Pile Plastic Dragon" is 197 meters, the widest part of the dragon's head is about 2 meters, with its head open and mouth open, bent over its back, and the tail looming, giving people a sense of rising and flying, which can be called the prototype of the Chinese dragon. Since then, the stone sculpture of Chahai site has been called "the first dragon in China".
Known as "China's first dragon", the Chahai site "stone pile plastic dragon" also unearthed dragon pattern pottery pieces at this site, the image of the dragon has a scaly performance ornament, these have the basic characteristics of the ancient Chinese dragon image, is the prototype of the original dragon.
Since then, the image of the dragon has been constantly changing. During the Hongshan culture period, the "pig" was also seen as one of the possible ancestors of the dragon. In the western Liaoning region, the remains of dragon culture 5,000 years ago were found, commonly known as "Jade Pig Dragon", the Jade Pig Dragon is a typical artifact of Hongshan culture, and the upper animal head is considered to be the deity of a pig or bear.
Jade carving Jue-shaped dragon Unearthed at the Niuheliang site in Chaoyang, Liaoning Province It is worth mentioning that the well-known "C" shaped jade dragon known as "China's first divine dragon" is the witness of the Hongshan cultural period and is one of the earliest forms of dragons found in jade. The "C" shape body is curled like a hook, the shape is vivid, the carving is exquisite, and it was unearthed in 1971 in Saiqin Tala, Wengniute Banner, Inner Mongolia.
In addition to the north, the Shijiahe Cultural Site in Tianmen City, Hubei Province, the Lingjiatan Cultural Site in Ma'anshan City, Anhui Province, and the Liangzhu Cultural Site in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, all have the physical excavation of the Jade Dragon.
In addition to the jade dragon, dragon patterns also appeared on pottery in the early days of human society. In 1981, the team of the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences discovered the Taosi site in the area of Taosi Village, Xiangfen County, Shanxi Province, which belonged to the Longshan culture period 5,000 to 4,000 years ago, and was a key stage in the origin and formation of Chinese civilization. The Panlong painted pottery plate unearthed from the site of Tao Temple is one of the most representative utensils. It was supposed to be a sacrificial vessel: the dragon coiled its body and spat out a core that resembled a tree branch from its mouth, perhaps related to the sacrifice of the land god. The dragon on the plate is very similar to the snake, without feet and scales, and only has a bulge at the nose frame of the head, which is called "Taosi Dragon" by experts.
The Shanxi Provincial Museum is hidden in the Sanxingdui cultural site of Guanghan in Deyang, Sichuan, and has also unearthed many dragon-shaped bronzes, dragon-shaped components, etc., with peculiar shapes and exquisite production, showing a strong and mysterious religious and cultural color, with unique national characteristics and regional characteristics.
During the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties, dragon culture was further developed. The turquoise dragon unearthed from the Erlitou site of Yanshi in Henan Province marks the beginning of the combination of dragon and state power. It is about 65 centimeters long and is made of more than 2,000 small pieces of turquoise of different shapes. The dragon-shaped device has a flat and round dragon head with many dragon whiskers or sideburns protruding, and the snout is prominent. The dragon's body is slightly curved, its body is covered with diamond-shaped scales, and the tip of its tail is curled inward.
In the ruins of Panlong City in Wuhan, Hubei Province, inlaid turquoise gold ornaments from the early Shang period were also found, the main body of the vessel was made of turquoise pieces of inlay and plastic, and the eyebrows, eyes, teeth, forehead ornaments, and eyebrows were decorated with gold foil. After research, it was restored as a double-body relief dragon-shaped ornament. This is the earliest single-body double-body dragon-shaped vessel in the current era, and it is also the physical witness of the continuation of Erlitou culture to the Shang Dynasty.
Dragons gained more divinity during the Shang and Zhou dynasties. Compared with the Neolithic period, the Shang and Zhou dragon patterns increased horns and running claws, and the mobility was greatly improved, which undoubtedly increased the complexity of the Shang dragon patterns.
During the Warring States period, the dragon pattern was finalized.
During the Warring States Period, the dragon pattern gradually evolved from a fierce and strange abstract image to scales, horns, whiskers, claws and other elements. Just as Mr. Wen Yiduo said in "Fu Xi Kao": "The dragon took the snake body as the main body, and accepted the four legs of the beast, the head of the horse, the tail of the hyena, the horns of the deer, the claws of the dog, and the scales and whiskers of the fish", during this period, different regional civilizations (Zhongshan, Chu, Yue, Yan......The dragon pattern tends to be the same, which is the finalization stage of the dragon.
During this period, dragon patterns can be seen on many vessels. For example, the copper square bean unearthed from the Warring States Tomb of Xindian, Jixia Street, Linzi District, Zibo, Shandong Province, the bean stalk is a tiger-like beast, the front foot holds two dragon heads, the dragon body is wound and connected with the plate, the rear foot steps on the five dragons, all lying on the ground, the shallow plate is made of a square round lotus shape, and the mouth is turned outward to show hollow lotus petals. The intricate design and sophisticated techniques reflect the high bronze casting technology of the time.
There is also an image of a dragon on the jade pendant. A Warring States jade-shaped jade pendant unearthed in Shangwang Village, Linzi District, Zibo City, flat body, open-carved dragon shape, creeping shape, the upper end of the dragon's head and tail is flat, and the dragon's facial features, wings and limb structure are carved out with yin lines. Originally, it was an awl made of bone horns in ancient times to untie knots, but in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, it gradually became a jade object combined with ornaments.
It is worth mentioning that during the Warring States Period, there were many dragons carved on the pottery containers of the Yan Kingdom, and in addition, the dragon patterns on copper, jade, talc and other materials were wonderful. This is very fully displayed in the Museum of Ancient Pottery Civilization. The architectural components of the Yan Kingdom, tiles and bricks, inherited the Shang and Zhou bronze art styles, and had obvious regional characteristics: the double beast gluttonous pattern, the mountain cloud pattern, and the double dragon pattern are more common. The ornamentation is exquisite and ingenious, and the dragon body is mostly in an S-shaped composition, full of dynamics, a strong sense of strength, great tension, and exquisite details.
In addition, the Ancient Pottery Civilization Museum also has dragon pattern tiles from the Qin State during the Warring States Period, which provides a carrier for understanding the dragon patterns of different regions during the Warring States Period.
Dragons appear in Han Dynasty murals.
In the Han Dynasty, after the "deification" of Emperor Liu Bang, the status of the dragon accelerated its rise, from one of the original four divine beasts to the absolute ruler of all beings, and the dragon also became a symbol of the ruler. During this period, as Buddhism began to be popular in China, the dragon added a new meaning: in Hindu mythology, there was a "Naga", a snake god, a multi-headed, highly poisonous and able to travel clouds and rain monsters, in the translation of Buddhist scriptures, this object was turned into a dragon, and the dragon became one of the Buddhas, and the dragon added auspicious meaning in traditional culture.
In the Han Dynasty, dragon patterns were widely used in all kinds of utensils. The rectangular five-button dragon pattern bronze mirror unearthed from the No. 5 burial pit of the tomb of King Qi of the Western Han Dynasty in Wotuo Village, Dawu Township, Linzi District, Zibo City, is the first batch of cultural relics that are prohibited from going abroad (territory) exhibition in China, and it is the heavy weapon in the ancient bronzes unearthed in Shandong, which is an extremely rare rectangle, and it is also the largest aspect of the bronze mirror unearthed in China at present.
The back of the copper mirror is decorated with a bas-relief dragon pattern, and the pattern is convex 01 cm, with a semicircular arc pattern on the edges, and five ring-shaped string buttons at the four corners and in the middle of the back of the copper mirror. Due to the large size of the copper mirror, it needs to be supported by a frame, pillar and base when used. In recent years, a five-button large square mirror (70. long.) has also been unearthed from the tomb of the Marquis of Haiyang in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province3 cm, width 465 cm, thickness 13 cm) and the matching wooden parts, whose restored state provides a reference for the use of this dragon bronze mirror.
During the Han Dynasty, dragons also appeared on the murals. Henan Yongcheng Baoan Mountain Liang Gongwang Mausoleum unearthed the Western Han Dynasty four gods cloud map mural, long 55 meters, width 335 meters at the top of the burial chamber. The main body of the picture is a flying dragon, surrounded by red birds, white tigers and fish-like monsters, forming a picture of the four gods and clouds. The picture is colorful, the lines are smooth, lifelike, and it is one of the earliest and well-preserved murals in the current discovery era in our country.
The murals of the four gods and clouds Yongcheng Baoan Mountain Dyeing Gonggong Mausoleum unearthed Henan Provincial Museum Tibetan Han Dynasty is a strong period of China's feudal society, but also the heyday of Wadang art. In this period, the image tile is the most praised by the later generations is the four gods of the tile, the four gods can not only represent the direction, the season, but also symbolize auspiciousness, have the meaning of expelling **, the auspicious meaning of the town, widely spread in the Han Dynasty.
The artistic image of the Song Dynasty dragon in the ancient pottery civilization museum tends to be perfected.
At least in the Han Dynasty, there were already 12 zodiac signs. Perhaps to avoid it, the Eastern Han Dynasty thinker Wang Chong mentioned eleven of the twelve zodiac signs in addition to the dragon in the "Materiality Chapter" in the third volume of the "Treatise on Balance", and the dragon was represented by the twelve stem branches "Chen".
During the period of the Three Kingdoms and the Two Jin Dynasties, the 12 zodiac signs with dragons were widely accepted, and the use of the zodiac year by the whole people probably began from this period. The 12 zodiac terracotta figurines of the Sui Dynasty in the collection of the Wuhan Museum are the earliest and best-preserved set of 12 zodiac terracotta figurines found at present.
The National Museum of China has a collection of 12 Chinese zodiac figurines, and the shape of the zodiac is the head of the animal, and the head of the animal is the image of the 12 zodiac signs. The body stands upright, wearing a wide-sleeved shirt with a cross-collar, hanging to the feet, and the hands are arched in front of the chest. The early image of the zodiac figurines is more realistic, pottery, seen in the Northern Dynasties period, the image is a simple animal shape, in the later development process, the artistic composition of the zodiac figurines gradually increased, becoming a combination of animals and figures, which is vivid and interesting.
In the Sui and Tang dynasties, in addition to the general traditional dragon image, there was also an image of the dragon's head and fish body, which scholars called "ichthyosaurus deformation". This is actually the legend of "carp jumping over the dragon gate". In addition to the influence of cultural and historical origins, this phenomenon has a similar effect to the imperial examination system at that time, so it is welcomed and regarded as an auspicious symbol.
In the Song Dynasty, the image of the dragon has basically broken free from the barrier of religion, and a whole set of theories for painting dragons has appeared - "three stops and nine likenesses". The image of the dragon in the Song Dynasty tends to be more perfect in art, the dragon's posture is healthy, the temperament is elegant and handsome, the majestic but not weird, free and easy but not arrogant, and it is pleasing to the eye after seeing.
In the Yuan Dynasty, the artistic image of the dragon was more perfect, tending to be a pursuit of harmony and aesthetic taste, which appeared light and elegant, and was also more secular and standardized.
The emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties strengthened their monopoly on power, and in order to highlight the authority of the emperor, dragon ornaments became the patent of the emperor to a large extent. At this time, a frontal image of a dragon's head appeared, and the dragon's eyes were wide open, teeth and claws were open, revealing a vicious aura to show the emperor's deterrent power. Dragon motifs are often depicted in royal artifacts and architecture.
The Beijing Museum of Ancient Architecture has a collection of Longfu Temple, Pilu Temple, Mingjian Golden Silk Nanmu Panlong Caissier. This caisson was built in Ming Jingtai three years (1452), the Qing Dynasty Yongzheng period has been repaired, its biggest feature is the well core, for the precious golden silk nanmu single wood carved into the coiling dragon mirror, the image is majestic, the body is vivid.
Longfu Temple Pilu Hall Ming Room Golden Silk Nanmu Panlong Caojing Beijing Ancient Architecture Museum Collection Confucius Museum collection of Fengtian Decree box, for gilt wood carving, in the vertical square blue plaque, on the book Manchu Chinese bilingual "Fengtian Decree", by the base, the inner box, the outer cover of three parts. The bottom is of the Sumeru seat, which is decorated with a cloud pattern. There are five dragons on the front, four dragons on both sides and behind, a total of nine dragons. This box is exquisitely crafted, richly decorated, and magnificent, and is designed to preserve the Emperor's decree.
Qing Dynasty Fengtian Decree Box Confucius Museum collects dragon patterns in jade, pottery, brick carvings, tiles and other places in different periods and places, and it can be seen that the dragon, the most divine totem, has been inherited for 8,000 years. In constant evolution, the dragon has sublimated into a national spirit.