Editor's note:
The Jade Rabbit bids farewell to the old year, and the Golden Dragon welcomes the New Year. Among the twelve Chinese zodiac signs, the dragon is the only fictitious mythical animal; in traditional Chinese culture, the dragon is a symbol with unique meanings.
The Year of the Dragon is approaching. China News Service's "East-West Question" has launched a series of "Spring Festival of the Year of the Dragon" planning series since February 6. From the origin of the dragon in Hongshan culture to the evolution of the dragon in the Dunhuang Grottoes, from more than a hundred years Explore the cultural flavor behind the Spring Festival in the Year of the Dragon from how foreigners celebrated the Spring Festival in the past to why Chinese people at home and abroad are called "descendants of the dragon." Please stay tuned.
China News Service, Lanzhou, February 7th: How can we see the integration of civilizations from the "dragon" in the Dunhuang Grottoes?
——Exclusive interview with Zhang Xiaogang, Vice President of Dunhuang Academy
China News Service reporter Ding Si
Five hundred green dragons attend a meeting, dragons float in the clouds, immortals ride on dragons to control phoenixes, the rain god with a dragon head spits out clouds to spread rain, the dragon body Fuxi protects orbs, and nine dragons are auspicious omens for initiation... There are a lot of auspicious signs in the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, China. Exquisite dragon images with different shapes. As the Spring Festival of the Year of the Dragon approaches in the Chinese Lunar Calendar, the image and culture of dragons have attracted much attention.
What are the main images of dragons in the Dunhuang Grottoes? What are the differences in their shapes, patterns, and meanings? With the introduction of Buddhism to China, are Chinese dragons related to Indian dragons? For overseas young people, how can we better tell Chinese stories through the dragon elements in Dunhuang murals? Zhang Xiaogang, deputy director and research librarian of the Dunhuang Academy, recently accepted an exclusive interview with China News Service's "East-West Question" to explain.
The interview transcript is summarized as follows:
Reporter from China News Service: Currently, what are the main types of dragon images in the Dunhuang Grottoes? What's the meaning?
Zhang Xiaogang:
The dragon elements that appear in the Dunhuang Grottoes have different forms. Some appear on the buildings inside the Dunhuang Grottoes; some appear in murals and paintings; and some appear in decorative patterns and character costumes. They are rich in content and image. no the same. The shape of the dragon is either rolled up into a circle or winding around in the clouds, with colorful lotuses and auspicious clouds. Some caisson patterns are a combination of dragon and phoenix.
There is a caisson on the top of Cave 235 of Mogao Grottoes and the center of the Five Dragon Soaring Cloud Well. Photo courtesy of Dunhuang Academy
The images of the Dragon King in the Dunhuang Grottoes mainly include animal forms, human-animal combination forms, and human forms. The animal-shaped image of the Dragon King is divided into animal-shaped and snake-shaped. The Dragon King is a combination of humans and animals, including the shape of a human with an animal head, a human body with a snake tail, etc. The human-shaped image of the Dragon King includes the form of a general, a Bodhisattva, and a king (or heavenly official).
Dragon, in the traditional meaning of the Chinese nation, is the incarnation of gods and means good luck. There are also images of immortals ascending to heaven on dragons or chariots in Dunhuang murals. The status of the dragon in Buddhist grottoes was quite low at first. Its patterns were mostly painted on both sides of the Buddhist niche, namely "Lianglong in the niche". It is an important protector and plays a role in protection and decoration. As time goes by, the dragons in Buddhist grottoes gradually transition to the "panzhu dragon" that lives in the center of the grotto, and the "caisin dragon" that lives on the top of the cave.
In Chinese culture, the dragon is regarded as a symbol of auspiciousness, authority, and nobility; it is not only the symbol of the emperor, but also the patron saint of ordinary people. The dragon is an important protector in Buddhism and has the meaning of protection; on the other hand, the dragon king also has the function of providing rain. For Dunhuang, which is located in an arid area, rainwater is of particularly important significance. Therefore, Dunhuang was very popular in the Tang and Song Dynasties. Dragon King Faith.
The dragons in the Dunhuang Grottoes illustrate that the belief in Buddhist protector gods, including the Dragon King, has penetrated into all aspects of social life in Dunhuang, expressing the people's longing for blessings, good weather, abundant harvests, elimination of epidemics and disasters, and benefit to all living beings. The "Dragon King Pays Worship to Buddha" in the Dunhuang murals has the image of eight dragon kings and dragon girls rising from the sea holding treasures and offering treasures to bless them. It shows the Dunhuang people's prayers for the Sea Dragon King, who symbolizes the Buddhist God of Wealth, and expresses their prayers for blessings and yearning. The wish for wealth.
The picture of the Dragon King worshiping Buddha on the south side of the west wall of the front room of Cave 36 of Mogao Grottoes. Photo courtesy of Dunhuang Academy
China News Service reporter: From the perspective of painting, modeling and other techniques, what are the Eastern and Western elements of the dragons on the Dunhuang murals? Is this related to the opening of the Silk Road?
Zhang Xiaogang:
"The horns are like a deer, the head is like a camel, the eyes are like ghosts, the neck is like a snake, the belly is like a mirage, the lin is like a fish, the claws are like an eagle, the palms are like a tiger, and the ears are like an ox." The image of the dragon is the Chinese people's interpretation of many things in nature. It is an imaginary combination of the characteristics of various animals. The formation of Chinese dragon culture is the product of the fusion of Chinese national cultures. After thousands of years of development, the image and meaning of the dragon have penetrated into every corner of society. Before the introduction of Buddhism, China's dragon culture was already very mature and penetrated into all aspects of people's lives.
With the opening of the Silk Road and the spread of Buddhism to the east, the dragon culture in ancient Indian Buddhism was also introduced to China through the Silk Road. It interacted and integrated with China's original dragon culture, making the Chinese dragon culture more colorful.
In January 2024, the Ming Dynasty dragon-patterned glaze components (right) and green-glazed dragon-patterned glaze components were displayed at the Nanjing Museum. Photo by Yang Bo
Dragon King, Sanskrit "nagarajah", transliterated as Nagarajah, is the Indian folk god of rain. The belief in dragon gods was very popular in ancient India. Dragons and dragon kings appear in various Buddhist scriptures and Buddhist stories, both evil and good dragons. In various Buddhist scriptures, the Dragon King is often mentioned as an important protector of the world.
In China's native dragon worship, there was no "Dragon King" worship, which was introduced after Buddhism was introduced to China. Before the Han Dynasty, there were only dragon gods, but not "dragon kings". With the spread of Buddhism, Dragon King belief spread throughout mainland China and was combined with China's original dragon worship.
The image of the dragon in the Dunhuang Grottoes is not the evil dragon with wings and spitting fire that is popular in Western society, but an image expression of traditional Chinese dragon culture. Some dragon images also incorporate the image of the dragon god represented by the Indian python. Some images of the humanoid dragon king have six python heads sticking out from behind their heads. These have typical characteristics of the Indian dragon king.
The dragons in the Dunhuang Grottoes have also made innovations in the process of cultural exchanges and mutual learning between the East and the West. The dragon serves as a protector in Buddhism. The Buddhist protectors are called the "Eight Dragons and Eight Tribes" in Dunhuang, which highlights the status of the Dragon King and reflects the worship of the Dragon King by the people of Dunhuang. Dunhuang painters will also add traditional Chinese ideas such as channeling and ascending to immortality when painting, as well as the depiction of images such as the Dragon King, which all bear the imprint of China's local culture. This is a process of inclusiveness and mutual learning.
On the north wall of Cave 25 of Yulin Grottoes is the Dragon King of the Eight Tribes who will listen to the Maitreya Sutra for the first time. Photo courtesy of Dunhuang Academy
China News Service reporter: How does the dragon in the Dunhuang murals reflect the connotation of traditional Chinese dragon culture? In the future, how to better tell the story of dragon culture to overseas teenagers?
Zhang Xiaogang:
In the Dunhuang Grottoes, the ancients expressed profound meanings by depicting the image of dragons, either symbolizing wealth and protection, or symbolizing perfection and freedom, which vividly embodies the essence of traditional Chinese dragon culture. As a zodiac sign, dragon represents good luck and good luck. It is powerful, so it can protect a party; it can spit water, so it means good weather; there are countless treasures in the sea, and the dragon is also the owner of countless treasures. It is synonymous with auspiciousness, inheriting and continuing the meaning of the image of the dragon in the excellent traditional Chinese culture.
It is colorful in exchanges and enriched in mutual learning. The image of the dragon in the Dunhuang Grottoes reflects the vastness of Chinese dragon culture by absorbing and integrating foreign cultures, respecting local reality, and maintaining its own characteristics.
On the north side of the top of the Buddhist niche on the west wall of Cave 401 of Mogao Grottoes is Emperor Shakti riding a four-dragon chariot. Photo courtesy of Dunhuang Academy
Nowadays, for the people, the dragon is not only a member of the zodiac, but also a symbol of auspiciousness. Praying for peace, good luck and other beautiful meanings, whether in China's border areas or inland, the meaning of dragons is the same.
This year is the Year of the Dragon. We have re-extracted the image of the “dragon” from the Dunhuang murals and given it a beautiful meaning for the new era. Local cultural and creative workers in Dunhuang also innovatively developed the "Dunhuang Five Lucky Dragons" and the "Dunhuang Cute Dragon" IP for the 2024 Year of the Dragon. The Five Lucky Dragons of Dunhuang are the Yizu Dragon, the Jirui Dragon, the Meishou Dragon, the Xiaoyao Dragon, and the Shoubao Dragon, which mean good fortune, wealth, longevity, joy, and wealth. The Year of the Dragon is full of blessings.
In January 2024, citizens viewed the "Dragon with Nine Sons" picture on display at the Chinese Dragon Armor Chen Nian New Year Exhibition at the Nanjing Municipal Museum. Photo by Zhong Yanming
For thousands of years, dragon totem worship and dragon cultural customs have been passed down from generation to generation and have been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. All Chinese people are "descendants of the dragon", and the dragon has been sublimated into the cultural logo, emotional bond and spiritual symbol of the Chinese nation. For overseas Chinese and young people, the Dunhuang Academy can also sort out theme exhibitions about the "dragon" element when going to overseas exhibitions in the future, and expand the meaning of dragon culture in the new era. Through vivid and interesting explanations and digital interactions, Tell stories about traditional Chinese dragon culture to overseas people, so as to better understand each other and enhance people-to-people bonds. (over)
Interviewee profile:
Zhang Xiaogang, deputy director of the Dunhuang Academy and director of the Institute of Archeology, research librarian, executive director of the China Dunhuang Turpan Society, director of the Chinese Archaeological Society, chief expert of major projects of the National Social Science Fund, and leading talent in Gansu Province. His main research direction is grottoes. Archeology and Dunhuang studies, his works include "Research on Dunhuang Buddhist Gantong Paintings" and "Sunan Matisi Temple Grottoes", etc. He has won the first, second and third prizes of the Gansu Provincial Philosophy and Social Sciences Outstanding Achievements Award 4 times.