Shanghai museum embraces the Year of the Dragon

The new exhibition entitled "Longing for Spring: A Celebration of the Year of the Dragon"at Shanghai Museum. [Photo by Gao Erqiang/chinadaily.com.cn]

Shanghai Museum is celebrating the coming Chinese New Year with a new exhibition entitled "Longing for Spring: A Celebration of the Year of the Dragon".

Opening on Jan 26, it showcases eight objects, five from the museum collection and three borrowed from Liaoning Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and Xi'an Museum.

The new exhibition entitled "Longing for Spring: A Celebration of the Year of the Dragon"at Shanghai Museum. [Photo by Gao Erqiang/chinadaily.com.cn]

The dragon, or long in Chinese, is the only mythical creature among the 12 Chinese zodiac signs. It has existed in legendary tales for millennia, recognized as a totem 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 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.

The new exhibition entitled "Longing for Spring: A Celebration of the Year of the Dragon"at Shanghai Museum. [Photo by Gao Erqiang/chinadaily.com.cn]

The new exhibition entitled "Longing for Spring: A Celebration of the Year of the Dragon"at Shanghai Museum. [Photo by Gao Erqiang/chinadaily.com.cn]