In the exhibition of cultural relics themed on the Year of the Loong at the Liaoning Provincial Museum, numerous ancient paintings and artworks with loong images are on display.
The painting of the Song Dynasty Songren Jiuge (or Nine Songs of the Song Dynasty) contains the scene of “a loong accompanying a celestial being”, which depicts that the protagonist “Yunzhongjun”, who wears imperial clothes, rides a flying loong through auspicious clouds.
The painting Tianwang Song Zi (or The Heavenly King Sends a Son) also displays the image of a loong, which is copied by Jin Guiqin, the painting copying expert of the Liaoning Provincial Museum and is now collected at the museum. The painting has detailed and complicated imagery, but clearly conveys that the loong functions as a “heaven messenger”. Thus, it can be seen that in the communication between heaven, earth and humans, loong is believed to be an indispensable messenger.
The images of the loongs that control clouds, rains, streams and marshes, are reflected in many paintings as well. For instance, the finger painting Yun Long (or Loong Amidst Clouds) created by Zhu lunhan of the Qing Dynasty, presents a black loong flying among the waves of the sea of clouds, with only its head and claws shown. The loong looks majestic, as if it was spreading clouds and rains. The painting is now exhibited at the Liaoning Provincial Museum.
The magic power of commanding clouds and rains, which loongs possess, embodies people’s expectations for agricultural prosperity in ancient China’s farming society. Ancient Chinese people believed that the celestial phenomenon of loongs affected farmland cultivation, and that their magical power could invoke rains. The emergence of loong meant that the country was prosperous and the people were at peace. Represented by loongs, the spirit of bravery, endeavor, infinite vitality and constant self-improvement has long been deeply implanted in the hearts of every Chinese.
