What are some examples of Chinese zodiac artwork and their cultural significance

*2024-11-11 15:44:28* 评论(2) · 2024-11-11 15:44:28

Hey folks, I've always been fascinated by the Chinese zodiac signs and their artistic representations. Do any of you have any favorite pieces of artwork that feature these signs? I'm particularly curious about their cultural significance and how they're depicted in different art forms. Would love to hear your thoughts and experiences!

蒋丽华 · 2024-11-11 17:07:15

The twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac have been magical creatures in people's minds since ancient times, including: the Zi Rat, the Ugly Ox, the Yin Tiger, the Mao Rabbit, the Cinnabar Dragon, the Si Snake, the Afternoon Horse, the Weiyang Sheep, the Shen Monkey, the You Rooster, the Hundred Days' Dog, and the Ohio Pig.
As a symbol of China's long history of folk culture, the Chinese zodiac has left behind a large number of poems, spring scrolls, paintings, calligraphy and folk crafts depicting the image and symbolism of the Chinese zodiac through the ages. In folk activities such as saying goodbye to the old year, welcoming the new year, celebrating good harvests, thanking the gods, getting rid of calamities, and ensuring peace and security, the twelve artistic images of the Chinese zodiac have unique cultural significance. It is an important content of folk art expressions such as New Year's paintings, paper-cutting, shadow, sculpture, toys, jewelry and so on.
Twelve animal heads of the Chinese zodiac in the Yuanmingyuan Garden
The formation of the twelve signs of the zodiac and the primitive people hunting lifestyle, the worship of totem beliefs are inseparable, and now their respective symbols are also based on people's long-term knowledge and views of these things, such as the rat breeding ability, it has become a symbol of the cult of reproduction; the cow will plough the land, the impact of farming civilization is extraordinary, it has become a symbol of hard-working and naive, willing to give; the dragon is a symbol of empire since ancient times; China has also been the worship of dragon totem. The dragon has been a symbol of emperors since ancient times, and China has always had the habit of worshipping the dragon totem, which naturally symbolizes excellence and distinction.
As the Chinese traditional auspicious culture of the twelve zodiac signs, the Zi Rat and the Ugly Ox, the Yin Tiger and the Mao Rabbit, a year of a beast of fortune is the good luck of every person, the gift of heaven, which is the first gift we came to the world, “Zodiac culture, the Chinese family”, which belongs to every child of the Chinese people can not be chosen and replaced by the lifelong mark and imprint is the link between our national emotions and culture. It belongs to every child of China who can not choose and replace the lifetime mark and brand, is to maintain the emotional and cultural ties of our nation, with the twelve Chinese zodiac signs also represents that no matter which corner of the earth you are in, we all belong to the same Chinese nation.

褚橙 · 2024-11-11 17:08:44

Once the system of twelve zodiac signs was formed, it not only objectively played the role of interesting chronology, reinforcing memory with the symbols of the zodiac, guiding the production and life of the agrarian society, but also soon gave rise to a rich and colorful cultural and artistic manifestations, which fed back and enriched the Chinese culture itself. In Wu Yucheng's words, the Chinese Zodiac itself is “a flower that blossoms on the Chinese ‘cultural vein’ but also colorfully decorates the green meadow of national culture”.
For example, legends, stories, poems and songs. Almost every Chinese zodiac sign has been woven into legends and incorporated into writing, combining its different qualities with its exquisite likeness and infinite meanings. The rat became a bride, the jade rabbit pounded medicine, Bole Xiangma ...... Through these stories and descriptions, people corresponded the phases of the genus with certain life rituals, explained the relevant cultural phenomena of life, and played a role in punishing evil and promoting good. For example, at the beginning of the Western Han Dynasty, Han Ying praised the chicken for its five virtues: “The one who wears a crown on his head is civilized; the one who wrestles with his feet is martial; the one who dares to fight in front of the enemy is courageous; the one who calls out to each other when he sees food is benevolent; the one who keeps watch at night without losing track of the time is trustworthy, and it is also sent to a ‘elegant bird’, which is the most important of all. “elegant bird” of the name. There are many other phases of the genus that have been written into literary works that have been passed down through the ages, such as the spirit monkey, the simple pig and the stallion in Journey to the West, which have become the most affectionate culture for Chinese readers.
have become one of the most affectionate cultural memories for Chinese readers.

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What are some examples of Chinese zodiac artwork and their cultural significance

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