Shanghai Museum (上海博物館, shàng hǎi bó wù guǎn) is celebrating the coming Chinese New Year (春節, chūn jié) with a new exhibition entitled "Longing for Spring: A Celebration of the Year of the Dragon" (春光龍融——上海博物館龍年迎春展, chūn guāng lóng róng —— shàng hǎi bó wù guǎn lóng nián yíng chūn zhǎn).

Opening on Jan 26, it showcases eight objects (八件文物, bā jiàn wén wù), five from the museum collection and three borrowed from Liaoning Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and Xi'an Museum.

The dragon, or long in Chinese, is the only mythical creature among the 12 Chinese zodiac signs (十二生肖中，龍是唯一的神話生物, shí èr shēng xiào zhōng , lóng shì wéi yī de shén huà shēng wù). It has existed in legendary tales for millennia, recognized as a totem (圖騰, tú téng) of Chinese nation and has long-held spiritual importance in China, according to Chu Xiaobo, director of Shanghai Museum.

The exhibition chose eight objects, covering dragons from the Neolithic period (新石器時代, xīn shí qì shí dài) to the modern age, from abstract imagery to descriptive portrayals of the creature, said Chu Xin, deputy director of the exhibition department of Shanghai Museum.

"We hope visitors will find the versatile representation of the dragon in Chinese culture to be imperatorial and solemn as well as vivid, cute and lovable," she said.

來源：中國日報網

編輯：萬月英