China News Service, Beijing, February 8th: How many dragons are there in the Forbidden City?
——Exclusive interview with Shan Jixiang, President of the Chinese Cultural Relics Society and Director of the Academic Committee of the Palace Museum
China News Service reporter Du Yan
The Chinese people have a long history of worshiping dragons, forming a broad and profound dragon culture. In traditional Chinese culture, the dragon plays a very important role. It is endowed with rich meanings such as auspiciousness, wisdom, and strength, and has become a symbol of the Chinese nation.
The Year of the Dragon in the Chinese Lunar Calendar is coming soon. Starting from the Spring Festival of the Year of the Dragon, China’s Spring Festival has been listed as a United Nations holiday. Why can the "Year of China" become the "Year of the World"? Looking around the world, where can you find the most dragons? How to inherit Chinese traditional culture? Shan Jixiang, president of the Chinese Society of Cultural Relics and director of the Academic Committee of the Palace Museum, recently accepted an exclusive interview with China News Service's "East-West Question" to explain this.
Video: [East-West Question] Shan Jixiang talks about dragons in the Year of the Dragon: How many dragons are there in the Forbidden City?
Source: China News Network
The interview transcript is summarized as follows:
China News Service Reporter: What do you think about China’s Spring Festival being listed as a United Nations holiday?
Shan Jixiang:
The Spring Festival is the most important traditional festival in China. It is an important festival accumulated by Chinese culture for thousands of years. It is a festive festival celebrated by the big family of the Chinese nation.
The Spring Festival belongs to China and the world. According to incomplete statistics, Spring Festival folk activities have been carried out in nearly 200 countries and regions, especially in places where there are Chinese people. The Spring Festival is constantly going to the world and becoming a global cultural event. Nearly 20 countries around China, including Vietnam, South Korea, the Philippines, and Indonesia, as well as Canada and the United States in North America, and Mauritius in Africa, have included the Spring Festival as a statutory holiday in all or some cities in the country.
The Spring Festival is an important symbol that carries the profound Chinese culture. At the end of 2023, the Spring Festival (Lunar New Year) was included as a United Nations holiday, which is consistent with the concepts of multiculturalism, harmony and co-prosperity that the United Nations has always advocated.
Our world is colorful, not a single color. National festivals carry the different cultural spirits and rich cultural accumulation of various ethnic groups.
Reporter from China News Service: 2024 will usher in the Year of the Dragon. In your opinion, why can the dragon become the symbol of the Chinese nation?
Shan Jixiang:
In early January 2024, China Post issued special stamps for the "Year of Jiachen". The pattern draws on the cultural genes of the classic dragon images of China's past dynasties, combines the cultural characteristics of the zodiac and the artistic characteristics of the stamps. The colors are festive and auspicious, and it means auspiciousness and beauty. .
On October 27, 2023, the release ceremony of China Post's "Jiachen Year" special stamp artwork was held in Beijing. Photo by Zhang Yu
"There was a dragon in the ancient East, and its name was China. There was a group of people in the ancient East, and they were all descendants of the dragon." I attended the stamp unveiling event and once again listened to the song "Zhang Mingmin" by the singer from Hong Kong, China. "Descendants of the Dragon" reminds me of the scene where my blood boiled when I first heard this song during the 1984 Spring Festival Gala.
The dragon is a mythical animal in ancient Chinese legends. As the totem of the Chinese people and the symbol of the Chinese nation, the image and characteristics of the dragon have continued to evolve with the progress of human civilization over thousands of years of history.
The C-shaped dragon from the Hongshan Culture of the Neolithic Age is known as "China's No. 1 Jade Dragon." There are many similarities between the Jade Pig Dragon and C-shaped Dragon from 6000 to 5000 years ago, as well as the dragon head-shaped jade artifacts from the Lingjiatan Culture of Anhui in the Yangtze River Basin 5000 years ago. They have no limbs, claws, or horns. Scaleless, it is speculated that it was used as a totem symbol or as a ritual vessel for sacrifice. They confirm the long history of Chinese dragon culture and are important witnesses of exchanges and integration between different regions.
A jasper "C-shaped dragon" photographed at the National Museum of China's "Jade out of Hongshan - Hongshan Cultural Archaeological Achievements Exhibition". Photo by Tian Yuhao
In the Shang Dynasty, dragons appeared on bronzes, with mouths, horns and claws; in the Qin and Han Dynasties, the image of dragons became more abundant, not only "long", but also with obvious scales, and images of swimming in water and flying in the air; By the Song Dynasty, the image of the dragon gradually took shape, especially when the dragon began to become a symbol of imperial power. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the image of the dragon was still evolving, and dragon images have appeared widely in various fields.
It can be said that dragon culture is broad and profound, covering many aspects of economy, politics, society, ecology and culture. It carries the brilliant culture of the Chinese nation, embodies the sense of community of the Chinese nation, and has become an important spiritual symbol of the Chinese nation. People regard the dragon as the incarnation of auspiciousness and beauty, and draw on the spiritual power of dragon culture, such as diligence, bravery, bold innovation, perseverance, pioneering efforts, and self-improvement, and imbue the beautiful meanings derived from the dragon into life.
At the first China Jilin Songhua River Skating Marathon Challenge held in Baishan City, Jilin Province, participating teams competed in an ice dragon boat race. Photo by Gao Longan
China News Service Reporter: Can you count the dragons in the Palace Museum in Beijing?
Shan Jixiang:
How many dragons are there in the Forbidden City? Today, the Forbidden City has a total of 1,200 groups of buildings. Dragons are on the palace roof, doors and windows, beams, steps, railings, caissons, tiles, etc., on lacquerware, woodware, enamelware and other utensils, in various collections such as paintings... it can be said that , dragons are everywhere and come in different shapes. Although there is no complete statistics, the Forbidden City may be the place with the most dragons in the world.
As the imperial palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Zhonghe, and the Hall of Baohe were the places where the emperor governed the country. Take the Hall of Supreme Harmony as an example, commonly known as the Jinluan Hall, where important events such as the emperor's accession to the throne, weddings, and generals sent on expeditions were held here. As the highest-level and most important palace in the Forbidden City, it is estimated that there are more than 13,000 dragons of different sizes flying between the palaces.
Generally speaking, the highest grade of ridge beasts on ancient roofs is 9. However, there is an extra ridge beast on the roof of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, for a total of 10. This is the most unique form in ancient Chinese architecture, with the largest number of ridge beasts in existence. Only seen in architecture.
At the exhibition "Dan Chen Yonggu - Six Hundred Years of the Forbidden City" on display at the Meridian Gate of the Palace Museum, the audience visited the ridged beasts in the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City. This group of ridged beasts was rebuilt in the 34th year of Kangxi's reign (1695). The original from the time of the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Photo by Du Yang
Inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, dragon pattern decorations are mainly concentrated in the top beams, caissons, thrones and other areas. They are painted with golden dragons and seals, which are majestic and show the majesty of the royal palace.
In the Forbidden City, there is another screen wall - the Nine Dragon Wall. It is also known as the "three major Nine Dragon Walls in China" together with the Nine Dragon Wall in Datong, Shanxi and the Nine Dragon Wall in Beihai Park, Beijing. This single-sided glazed screen wall with its back against the palace wall was built during the reconstruction of Ningshou Palace in the 37th year of Qianlong's reign in the Qing Dynasty (AD 1772). Ningshou Palace is the palace that Emperor Qianlong prepared for his abdication. The screen wall at its gate is the most sophisticated in terms of its regulations, gorgeous firing, and exquisite design.
Tourists take pictures of the Nine Dragon Wall in the Treasure Hall of the Forbidden City in Beijing. Photo by Yi Haifei
This screen wall is 29.40 meters long and 3.50 meters high. The nine dragons on the wall are divided into three types: positive dragon, ascending dragon and descending dragon. The nine dragons roll freely and have different expressions. The nine dragons are all made in high relief, with the highest part 20 centimeters higher than the wall. The yellow dragon is in the middle, surrounded by blue, white and purple dragons, forming a lifelike three-dimensional effect. The strange rocks on the cliff running through the center of the wall separate the nine dragons into five spaces. The number "Nine Five" reflects the ancient Chinese "Nine Five Lords" regulation.
There are countless dragons in the Forbidden City. As the ancient capital of Beijing, you can find many vivid dragons of different shapes in museums and ancient buildings.
Reporter from China News Service: In recent years, there has been a "museum craze" and "urban cultural tourism craze". What role does this play in inheriting excellent traditional culture and promoting urban development?
Shan Jixiang:
Protection and utilization of traditional culture are not the only purpose. The real purpose is to inherit and promote it. The culture created by our ancestors must be passed on to future generations completely and truly through our hands and our times.
If a museum wants to attract more general audiences, especially young people, it needs to use vivid "new methods" that young people like to hear and see, and adopt novel forms, vivid language, and rich connotations to present classic culture. .
On December 30, 2023, the first day of the New Year holiday, tourists walked out of the Palace Museum. Photo by Sheng Jiapeng
The Palace Museum used to have a relatively small opening area and a relatively small number of exhibitions and exhibits. In response, the museum has carried out drastic reforms, displaying more cultural relics collections through measures such as formulating protection plans, expanding open areas, increasing the number of exhibitions, holding cultural activities, developing cultural and creative products, adding visitor signs, and applying digital technology to develop APPs. Come out instead of shelving them, so that the cultural relics can be healthier and more dignified, and the stories of the cultural relics can be told well.
The Forbidden City also filmed the documentary "I Repair Cultural Relics in the Forbidden City", which introduced the discovery, protection and restoration process of rare cultural relics and the life stories of a group of young restorers, which impressed many young people and stimulated people's interest in traditional culture. Nowadays, I give speeches, publish books, and participate in variety shows, etc., all of which are dedicated to promoting traditional culture.
Through a series of measures, after seven or eight years, the number of visitors to the Forbidden City and the proportion of young visitors have gradually continued to grow.
11 children from Nanning, Guangxi came to visit Harbin Polar Park in Heilongjiang. These 11 children are affectionately called "Little Sugar Oranges" by netizens because of their cute appearance in orange down jackets. Photo by Zhao Yuhang
Speaking of the "urban cultural tourism craze" in Zibo and Harbin, I think that various places are constantly digging into cultural resources and condensing new themes and cultural activities to attract more people to pay attention and enter the city. This phenomenon of cities "out of the circle" It may still happen. But the important thing is that every city has its own advantages and unique cultural resources. It is necessary to connect these with real life. Only in this way can it generate more attention, more yearning, and let more people come in.
Just like the protection of cultural heritage, we need to explore it in a down-to-earth manner and continue to innovate. We have moved from the protection of cultural relics to the protection of cultural heritage. Cultural heritage is not unique to a country or a nation. It is the common heritage of mankind. We must strengthen international cooperation and joint efforts to promote mutual learning among civilizations so that people can learn from each other in real life. Get a profound and fresh cultural experience and enjoy rich and colorful cultural achievements. This process does not happen overnight and requires ongoing effort. (over)
Interviewee profile:
Shan Jixiang, President of the Chinese Cultural Relics Society and Director of the Academic Committee of the Palace Museum. Senior architect, registered urban planner. Graduated from the School of Architecture, Tsinghua University, majoring in urban planning and design, and received a doctorate in engineering. He has successively served as director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Cultural Relics, secretary of the Beijing Fangshan District Party Committee, director of the Beijing Municipal Planning Commission, director of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, and director of the Palace Museum. He is a member of the 10th, 11th and 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. He has been employed as a part-time professor and doctoral supervisor in universities such as Peking University and Tsinghua University.