How many ears does a rabbit have two ears for a rabbit, and how many ears does a rabbit have? The Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, a world heritage site, gives an alternative answer: three rabbits compete to chase, and two pairs share one ear, forming a unique shape of "three rabbits with common ears", which at first glance means three rabbits with three ears.
▲Mogao Grottoes Cave 302 "Three Rabbits with Common Ears" fence wall pattern. Photo courtesy of Dunhuang Academy
In traditional Chinese culture, "three" has auspicious, complete and infinite meanings. Words such as Sanyang Kaitai, Sansheng All Things, and Sansheng Youxing are well known, and patterns such as the three beast pattern, the three-goose pattern, and the three-fish common head pattern are widely used in lacquerware, waddang, and even earlier painted pottery in the Qin and Han dynasties.
Zhao Yanlin, deputy research librarian of the Institute of Archaeology of the Dunhuang Academy, said that there are 20 caves with the "three rabbits with common ears" pattern in the Mogao Grottoes. In Cave 302, excavated in the fourth year of the Sui Emperor, the "Three Rabbits and Common Ears" appeared for the first time, and the last cave to appear with this pattern was Cave 99 of the Five Dynasties.
The algae well at the top of the cave is the most common location for the "three rabbits common ear". Zhao Yanlin said that Mojing refers to the ceiling of indoor centers such as palaces, temples, and grottoes, and is often painted with aquatic plants such as lotuses and algae. Because wooden buildings are prone to fire, the ancients opened "wells" on top of the buildings, hoping to avoid fire.
The "Three Rabbits with Common Ears" algae well in Cave 407 of Mogao Grottoes can be described as a model work. The cave was excavated in the middle and late Sui dynasty. In the double eight-petal lotus, three rabbits chase vigorously and their ears stand up. On the outside of the lotus, the flying skirt flutters and soars into the sky. Colorful colors and vivid shapes make the static picture come to life.
▲Mogao Grottoes Cave 407 "Three Rabbits with Common Ears" algae well pattern. Photo courtesy of Dunhuang Academy
"The 'Three Rabbits Ear' creates a new pattern by superimposing the same parts." Zhao Yanlin said that rabbits have strong fecundity, which means many children and blessings, and endless life. The rabbit is the embodiment of the moon god, and the ancients often compared the moon to water, so the rabbit was drawn at the algae well, which means "water to overcome fire".
What's more interesting is that three rabbits jumped to embark on a "magical journey" across three continents: metal plates from Afghanistan, copper coins from Mongolia, ceramics from Egypt, church clocks from Germany, tile paintings from England... They are all on it.
▲British scholars' treatise on the "three rabbits with common ears" pattern. Photo courtesy of interviewee
Where did the "Three Rabbits Ear" originate? Scholars have different understandings of this, some believe that the pattern comes from ancient Greece, and others believe that its source is the Gandhara region. However, the mainstream view is still that the first place where the "three rabbits share the ear" appeared was the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes.
"Combing through the existing materials, it can be found that the 'three rabbits with common ears' pattern has the characteristics of time and space of 'east morning and west evening'. The earliest patterns appeared in Dunhuang in the 6th century, along the Silk Road in Central and West Asia around the 9th and 11th centuries, and spread to Egypt and Europe in the 13th and 16th centuries. This transmission line should be clear and reasonable. Zhao Yanlin said.
▲Mogao Grottoes Cave 305 "Three Rabbits with Common Ears" algae well pattern. Photo courtesy of Dunhuang Academy
In the cultural exchange of the Silk Roads, the transmission and interaction of patterns do not stop there. The popular "beaded pattern" of the Sassanid Persian Dynasty and the "grape pattern" from the Western Regions often appear in the trim of Dunhuang murals. The spread and evolution of the "curly grass pattern" is also closely related to the Silk Road.
"Pictorial symbols are a perspective for observing the cultural convergence of the Silk Roads, and the same type of pictorial symbols often appear in the relics of different cultures of similar eras along the Silk Roads. Sorting out and studying patterns and symbols with common cultural characteristics is of great significance to explore the history of cultural exchanges and communication along the ancient Silk Road. Zhao Yanlin said. (End)
Author/Zhang Yujie