As the Year of the Dragon approaches, a series of picture books targeted at children and titled Gugong Xunlong Qiyuji (Adventures with Dragons in the Palace Museum), has recently been published by a Beijing-based publishing company Xiron.
In ancient Chinese legend and tradition, the dragon is a mythical creature and symbol of auspiciousness, and is an important cultural symbol.
Li Zhiguan, the author of the series, has drawn nearly 300 illustrations recounting the adventures of a boy named A Gu and his cat Little Black in the Palace Museum, which was home to most of the emperors during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. China's emperors frequently made use of the dragon as an embodiment of their divine mandate.
During the launch ceremony at the 36th Beijing Book Fair, Gou Chao from the Beijing History, Geography and Folk Custom Society recounted the legends about the dragon's nine representative sons, which are illustrated in the books through the introduction of cultural relics from the Palace Museum.
For example, four 3-meter-long gilt bronze dragons stand on the eaves of the Pavilion of Rain Flower. They look as if they are about to launch themselves into the air but have been caught mid-jump, and are known as the "running dragons". Legend has it that during the reign of Emperor Qianlong (1736-96), the temperature reached 40 C one summer day. The dragons were so thirsty that during the night, they flew down to the bronze vat in Changchun Palace to drink water. To allow the dragons to sleep better, Emperor Qianlong ordered that a stone be put in Changchun Palace to serve as a pillow for them.
Other legends featured in the book include those about the Nine-dragon Wall, the 1,142 heads of Chiwen, one of the nine representative sons of the dragon, which can be found all around the Palace Museum in the form of decorative rainspouts, and the six giant pillars in the Hall of Supreme Harmony on which six dragons are curled.
