In Chinese culture, the Chinese zodiac is not only integrated into the life of ordinary creatures, but its natural habits have been endowed with many cultural significances, from animals to godheads, and are revered and worshipped. Only the combination of natural beings and cultural godheads constitutes a complete zodiac animal impression. From its origins, the zodiac has been regarded as a symbol of people's prayers for peace and longevity. Each zodiac sign has rich meanings and legends, such as: rat represents wisdom, ox represents diligence, tiger represents bravery, rabbit represents prudence, dragon represents fortitude, snake represents flexibility, horse represents perseverance, sheep generation and shun, monkey represents flexibility, chicken represents stability, dog represents loyalty, pig represents easy-going and so on.
Chinese relationship with rabbits has a long history, dating back to ancient times. Yin Wu unearthed the skull, upper and lower jaws and limb bones of the Shang dynasty hare,
It is proved that the hare has entered the life of the Chinese at that time, and there are many texts about the hunting of rabbits by people at the time. For thousands of years, Chinese and rabbits have been living together and coexisting, and rabbits, as domestic animals, pets, food and fur animals, have become more and more closely linked to Chinese life wealth, enriching our lives day by day.
The history of mainland rabbit culture has a long history, dating back to the ancient Neolithic period. In the eyes of Chinese, rabbits are the messengers of auspicious fortune from heaven, and the cultural elements that form this meaning are precipitated in historical texts and poetry works, and in various cultural relics related to rabbits, such as jade, porcelain, bronze, paintings, etc. The ancients also regarded it as a symbol of health and longevity through the imagination of "jade rabbit pounding medicine"; He created praise idioms such as "three caves of cunning rabbits" and "moving like a rabbit" to metaphorically compare human intelligence and agility.
In Buddhist lectures, rabbits, as Buddha's life, also have important cultural meanings. Out of love and worship of the rabbit, people also included it in the Chinese zodiac, and the zodiac rabbit has become a link that maintains the emotions and culture of the Chinese nation. On the occasion of the year of the rabbit, let's take an inventory of the rabbits in the cultural relics of previous dynasties.
【Bronze Heavy Weapon】Rabbit is the messenger of auspicious creatures in the eyes of Chinese, and has been listed on the list of Rui beasts since ancient times. The ancients often incorporated the shape of the rabbit into their living utensils, hoping to bring blessings to themselves. The ancient rabbit-related artifacts in the mainland can be divided into practical utensils and ornamental utensils, with rich and colorful shapes, although they do not have the might of dragon and tiger artifacts, but they have a unique exquisite beauty. Whether it is a rabbit-shaped round sculpture or a rabbit-shaped ornament, it directly or indirectly reflects the social life and historical style of various eras, and endows people with long-lasting spiritual strength. In particular, there are many images of rabbits in the bronzes of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties.
As an important representative of traditional Chinese culture, jade has five virtues, which deeply affects the thinking and aesthetic concept of every Chinese, and rabbit is also one of the most common themes of Chinese jade. On the one hand, because rabbits have strong fecundity and are regarded as symbols of fertility, people express the worship of fertility through rabbit-shaped jade; On the other hand, the meek and gentle character of the rabbit, combined with jade, not only represents wealth and power, but also is endowed with the virtue of gentleness and benevolence, condensing the special spiritual connotation of the ancients for life.
In the 12th Chen, the shape of the rabbit is usually the head of the rabbit, and the sitting statue of the rabbit similar to the 12th Chen, which resembles the 12th Chen, is held with a fan (the first left) in the right hand and a leaf in the left hand. This image of shaking fan jade rabbit is like the demeanor of an ancient scholar, leisurely. The whole vessel is polished and shiny, smooth and cute.
For a long time, China has been the only country in the world that has mastered the technology of making porcelain, so in the long history of porcelain firing, rabbits are also common auspicious ornaments and shapes. Among the many porcelain rabbit pillows, the porcelain pillow on the left is in the shape of a rabbit and has an oval pillow surface. The fat rabbit is on all fours, with its ears close to its back, its eyes are round, lively and cute. The face is blue and a blooming lotus flower is carved in the center. The petals and core are dyed with green, brown and blue colors, respectively. The rabbit is light green throughout, with fine openings on the glaze. The fetal quality is white and delicate.
In traditional Chinese culture, "rabbit" is a word with a high reputation, which is listed among the twelve zodiac signs, which is not only closely related to the real life and future vision of human beings, but also is said to be the genus of the moon god, and has auspicious connotations such as spitting spring and abundant food and clothing. On the occasion of the Spring Festival, I also wish everyone a great "rabbit" in the new year and a happy celebration. Tomorrow we will lead you to continue to appreciate the Year of the Rabbit in cultural relics.