Dragon Culture -- the decorative art of dragon in traditional Chinese architecture

    The dragon is the symbol of the Chinese nation. Chinese people all over the world are proud to be the descendants of the dragon, and China is known as the great Dragon of the East. The dragon culture permeates every corner of China, especially in the traditional Chinese architecture, you can see the “dragon ”everywhere.

    Before the Han Dynasty, dragon decoration was not exclusive to the emperor, and ordinary aristocrats could also decorate their houses with dragon patterns. Dragon was widely used in Chinese folk architectural decoration after the Western Han Dynasty. For example, in the roof ridge, lintel, queti, brackets, stele head, wall and other parts, the dragon shapes in various forms, the momentum is aggressive, reflecting the connotation of traditional Chinese culture. From the Han Dynasty to the Tang, Song and Yuan Dynasties, the dragon gradually became the symbol of the emperor, and the dragon ornaments were gradually restricted by the royal family, but still not exclusively by the royal family.

    By the Ming and Qing Dynasties, dragon ornaments became the main decoration of royal palaces. The Forbidden City in Beijing takes dragon culture to the extreme.

    The image of the dragon in the building is usually made by stone carving, wood carving, kiln smelting, color painting, chisel carving, casting and other methods. Since ancient times, the dragon, a symbol of nobility, magic, auspiciousness and majesty, has played an irreplaceable role in the field of ancient Chinese architecture.