The National Palace Museum

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The Dragon in Chinese Art

Price: $ 49.95

To most Westerners the dragon is a fearsome animal,
a mythical beast that breathes fire,
lays waste to the countryside, devours the populace,
and kidnaps fair maidens.

But to the Chinese, the dragon is an auspicious animal
that regulates rainfall and thus controls the yield of the land.
Indeed, the dragon is divine, the manifestation of Heaven's will
and symbol of the Emperor,the Son of Heaven.

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Introduction
This section summarizes for the user the dragon's role in Chinese art and society beginning with its origins in ancient folk belief.

Several key qualities of the Chinese dragon, its auspicious quality, its association with water,
and its miraculous power of transformation are discussed, in order to explain why dragons of various types eventually appear everywhere in Chinese culture. Special attention is given to the dragon's association with the emperor and its position both in the Chinese landscape and the Chinese calendar.

Antiquities
This section comprises a total of 126 dragon-decor exhibits ranging from the Neolithic Age to the middle
/ late Qing Dynasty. Every exhibit is illustrated and carries a simple yet vivid explanation.
Each picture can be enlarged beyond full-screen size
, and by moving the cursor to any edge of the screen
the picture will automatically scroll sideways or up
and down for full appreciation of every detail.
Selected exhibits also include a video clip permitting the user to view them from any chosen angle.

Dragon Types

This section introduces ten categories of dragon
types based on the different shapes and poses
of the dragons used in the decorative designs
of the antiquities.

Separate paragraphs are devoted to the evolution
of each type of dragon design, its period of greatest popularity, and an account of how it was used in practice.

Chronology

This section highlights 14 chronological periods relevant to the date of the various antiquities shown.

In addition to ranging antiquities of different periods
in chronological order, it also focuses on the distinguishing characteristics of dragon designs
of each period, thus giving the user an insight
into how styles changed over time.

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