Behind the unique auspicious ornamental pattern symbol is the goodness and beauty of the Chinese nation

The "Fulu Shouxi Beautiful Life - Special Exhibition of Chinese Auspicious Culture", which is currently being exhibited at the Shanghai Municipal History Museum, selects nearly 300 exhibits from nature, history, art and other categories to explain the inheritance and development of auspicious culture over thousands of years, and its multi-level impact on people's lives and Chinese culture.

In the long river of traditional Chinese culture that has lasted for thousands of years, auspicious culture is a very important tributary. The ancestors skillfully used characters, animals, flowers and birds, words, etc., through metaphors, analogies, puns, harmonics, symbols and other techniques to express their yearning for an auspicious and beautiful life. Through the ornaments, patterns and symbols, we can see the life consciousness, aesthetic taste, home and country feelings and national character of the Chinese.

Jointly sponsored by Shanghai Municipal Museum of History (Shanghai Museum of Revolutionary History), Zhejiang Natural History Museum and Hebei Museum, "Fulu Shouxi Beautiful Life - Special Exhibition of Chinese Auspicious Culture" was recently opened at the Shanghai Municipal History Museum. This is the first cross-border cooperation between three different types of cultural and cultural institutions in the three places, selecting nearly 300 exhibits in nature, history, art and other categories, explaining the development and evolution of auspicious culture over thousands of years, and its multi-level impact on people's lives and Chinese culture.

People have germinated primitive concepts of auspiciousness in the practice of observing nature

"Auspicious, good deeds; auspicious ones, the march of Jiaqing." To put it bluntly, auspiciousness is people's yearning for all beautiful things, reflecting the Chinese nation's goodness and beauty. According to Chen Hanhong, deputy director of the Urban History Research Department of the Shanghai Municipal History Museum, subject to the level of productivity and the ability to perceive the world, the ancestors were full of fantasies and speculations about the mysterious universe and the characteristics of many birds and animals, animals, animals, birds, insects and fish. In the coexistence with nature, the ancestors groped to understand nature, tried to communicate with heaven and earth, and germinated primitive auspicious concepts in observation and practice.

For example, on the pottery and jade of the Liangzhu culture, animal patterns such as turtles, crocodiles, birds, snakes, and deer were found. This explicit and conscious act of creation should stem from people's long-term observation of nature. For another example, two birds surround the sun together, which constitutes the main ornament of the "double bird sunrise" butterfly pattern of the Hemudu culture. This is also seen as an early cult of the sun.

Gradually, people integrate the emotions of life into the observation of nature, often giving beautiful allegories to animals and plants because of their harmonic sounds or certain special habits. In this process, it often reflects the concept of the Chinese people seeking benefits and avoiding harms, and being positive and upward.

Take the tiger as an example, this is a very fierce beast, but because of its might, in folk culture, it is used to drive away evil spirits, symbolizing deterrence; tigers and "fu" harmonic sounds, but also means rich and noble, prosperous family home. Therefore, in the traditional concept, Chinese like to wear tiger hats for infants and young children, pinning their sincere care for the next generation. The style characteristics of tiger head hats in different regions are not the same.

Tiger culture in the Central Plains is the most developed, often used in the tiger itself yellow and big red and green and other contrasting and more conspicuous colors as the main color, very festive; the north and northeast regions mostly use black, green and white, the style is rough and solid; the embroidery industry in Jiangsu and Zhejiang is developed, the tiger head hat style style is delicate, exquisite, elegant, tranquil, the color level is more abundant, and the production is more realistic.

"The picture must be intentional, the meaning must be auspicious", auspicious culture is everywhere

According to records, by the time of the Qin and Han dynasties, auspicious culture had grown a preliminary symbolic system. After the Sui and Tang dynasties, auspicious ornaments tended to be secularized, and began to be popular among various classes, the theme was more abundant, and a large number of flowers, plants, birds and birds were widely used. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, it reached the systematic degree of "the map must be intentional, and the meaning must be auspicious". Traditional auspicious motifs personify and idealize natural objects, so that the relationship between heaven and man becomes an aesthetic interpretation, and different natural images are artificially connected and superimposed, showing a more intense and pure auspicious expectation. For example, swimming fish playing in the lotus represent "more than one year in a row", spiders falling off their nests means "joy descends from heaven", monkeys climb on horseback to symbolize "immediately sealing", red bat patterns flying in the sky symbolize "Hong Fuqi Heaven", and the combination of cocks and cockscomb flowers with a crown symbolizes "crown on the crown".

Throughout the ages, people are always willing to distill the beautiful blessings that cannot be said in a thousand words into interesting, positive energy, and story symbols, and then help them build confidence from the psychological level and life level, inspire them to forge ahead, and use diligent hands to create a happier and better life. Whether it is the height of the temple or the distance of the rivers and lakes, auspicious culture is everywhere, accompanied by everyone's birth, study, family, and career... Become part of the DNA of Chinese culture.

In the exhibition hall, a picture of wealth and peace is displayed. It was painted by Peking opera artists Mei Lanfang, Xun Huisheng, Huang Guiqiu, Jiang Miaoxiang, Cheng Yanqiu and Shang Xiaoyun, and the paintings of plums, bamboo, peonies, camellias, pisces and Bogujia are typical desk clearances. Painting style: rich and noble bamboo newspaper peace, Mei Lanfang supplementing ink plum and inscription, Xun Huisheng painting peony, Huang Guiqiu using double hook method to supplement bamboo, Jiang Miaoxiang painting bottle rack, Cheng Yanqiu painting red camellia, Shang Xiaoyun painting double fish, is a very rare handwriting of many opera masters.

"The traditional auspicious pattern represented by Fulu Shouxi has been passed down to this day, although the connotation and function have undergone certain changes, and today's China has built a well-off society in an all-round way, but our vision and yearning for a better life have not changed." Hu Jiang, director of the Shanghai Municipal History Museum, said that in the current complex and changeable situation of the international situation and the global epidemic situation, when all mankind has become a community of common destiny, auspicious culture has also sent good wishes for guotai and min'an to the world.

Author: Li Ting

Editor: Fan Jing

*Wenhui exclusive manuscript, please indicate the source when reprinting.