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Past Exhibitions

Imperial Dragon
Mythic Creatures
"Long ago, there was a poor farmer who lived in a wild and
Water - Creatures of rugged land, far from the great cities of China. One day
when he was coming home from the fields, he came to a
the Deep pond. There he stopped and stared in amazement. On the
banks of the pond lay his wife, fast asleep. A great scaly
Land - Creatures of dragon loomed above her. Clouds blackened the sky,
the Earth lightning flashed, and the air shook with thunder. Months
later, when the farmer's wife gave birth to a beautiful son,
Air - Creatures of the the couple were filled with joy. This boy grew up to become
Sky Emperor Gaozu, the first ruler of the Han dynasty."

Dragons - Creatures --adapted from a story recounted by Chinese scholar Sima

of Power Qian in Shiji (Historical Records), c. 109-91 BC Chinese court robe (front): In the
East Asian world, the dragon
European Dragons symbolizes imperial power. The
Mighty Ruler dragons on this Chinese court robe
Asian Dragons rise from the water to the sky,
Revered above all other creatures in East Asian tradition,
Imperial Dragon the dragon is also a symbol of imperial rule. The Chinese
bringing necessary rain.

emperor was known as "the dragon." His hands were the © D. Finnin/AMNH
Borrowed Dragons
dragon's claws, and his seat was the dragon throne. United
Natural History of with heaven and earth, a wise emperor ruled in harmony with the cosmos and brought
Dragons peace and prosperity to all.

Meet the Curators

From Sea to Sky
Chinese dragons are said to spend winter on the floor of a lake or the ocean. Each spring
Fun Facts
they rise to the heavens with a clap of thunder, to form clouds and water the land. The
dragons embroidered on imperial robes are shown soaring up to the sky from the sea,
Collaborators represented by the broad expanse of diagonal lines near the hem.

Precious Pearl
Imperial robes and other East Asian works of art often show the dragon
with a pearl surrounded by branching flames. Some scholars view this as
a symbol of rolling thunder, belched from the dragon's mouth as it
reaches the sky. Others regard it as a luminous "pearl of potentiality," a
philosophical sign linked with Taoist ideas of the ever-changing and
indefinite.

Dragon, cover of
the end-folio of a
10 tablet book,
'The Song of the
Jade Bowl',
written by the
Emperor
X
Qianlong, 1745
Members see it FREE. Join Credit:
TodayThe>
Trustees of the
Get unlimited admission, discounts, and more. Chester Beatty
Library,
 Dublin/The
Bridgeman Art
Library
True Dragon
More than 2,000 years ago, the Chinese emperor became
known as the True Dragon, Son of Heaven. In this portrait,
Ming dynasty founder Zhu Yuanzhang (1328-1398) wears a
dragon robe, a symbol of his divine and omnipotent rule.

At a Glance: Chinese Dragon

bump on the forehead called chi mu helps the dragon float up to the
heavens.
81 scales, equal to nine times nine, a lucky number.
sweet-smelling saliva.
excellent eyesight.
four legs with up to five claws on each foot.
Chinese dragons live underwater in winter. In spring, they rise to the Emperor Chu Yuan-Chang
sky and make rain. (1328-98) Founder of the
Ming Dynasty (pen, ink and
So They Say opaque watercolour on
"The dragon's nature is rough and fierce, and yet he likes paper) by Chinese School
beautiful gems and the Stone of Darkness, and is fond of Credit: National Palace
roasted swallows. He is afraid of iron, the wang plant, of Museum, Taipei, Taiwan/The
centipedes, of the leaves of the lien tree, and of five-colored silk Bridgeman Art Library
thread."

--Chinese scholar Li Shizhen (1518-1593)

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