Excited
I recently wrote about the French auction of Yves Saint Laurent’s artworks which included two Chinese bronze animal heads from a collection of twelve which were looted in the 19th century from the old Summer Palace in Beijing by French and British forces. I also commented that the whereabouts of seven of the original twelve zodiac heads are known. The remaining five are still lost as far as we know.
News comes today that the missing dragon’s head may be in Taiwan.
Wellington Wang, a well-known local art collector, told the TVBS news channel he was contacted by a businessman who claimed to have the bronze dragon’s head and was initially looking to auction it. … The dragon’s head could be more valuable than the rabbit and rat … due to its highly symbolic status in Chinese culture, the newspaper said, quoting another local antique collector.
It’s a well known fact that the dragon symbol from the Chinese zodiac is one of the most revered. The year of the dragon is considered an extremely lucky year in which to have a child and births always increase in a dragon year.
It should be no surprise that I have two cousins born in the year of the dragon. Both of their parents planned for their kids to be born that year in an effort to give their kids the best luck possible. Chinese superstition runs deep in my family and dragons are no exception. With so much faith in dragons, recovering the dragon’s head would be a tremendous boon to Chinese morale after the results of the recent auction.
There’s no confirmation yet the dragon’s head has been found, but I hope this news report is indeed true and we can at last know where one more missing piece of this treasure is, and at some point reunite all the pieces of the “Water Clock” fountain.
How does this post make you feel?
- Fascinated
- Amused
- Bored
- Sad
- Angry
NOTE: 8Asians.com is a community, and we thank you for being a part of it. While we welcome and appreciate differences in opinion, if you're rude or you're promoting spam, we have a right to edit or delete your comment. Read our comment policy for more information.
If you see a comment that violates the 8Asians.com comment policy, you may flag the comment by mousing over the comment and clicking "FLAG."
Well, I remember now where I got the information about the bronze heads being used as target practice by westerners---it was from my first visit to the new Summer Palace in 1998, where a tour guide was discussing the subject-----hope she was wrong, and the other heads do, indeed turn up.
Well, I remember now where I got the information about the bronze heads being used as target practice by westerners---it was from my first visit to the new Summer Palace in 1998, where a tour guide was discussing the subject-----hope she was wrong, and the other heads do, indeed turn up.
@Kim: Every article I've read said there's a belief the five remaining heads were destroyed. I haven't found anything about gunfire or target practice. But this dragon head is one of the five that remains missing and believed destroyed, so there may be hope yet.
@Kim: Every article I've read said there's a belief the five remaining heads were destroyed. I haven't found anything about gunfire or target practice. But this dragon head is one of the five that remains missing and believed destroyed, so there may be hope yet.
Regarding the re-unification of all the pieces of the "water-clock fountain" ---- as I mentioned in the original post--- my memory is that I had seen an account which indicated several of the heads had been destroyed-- and I think it was by gunfire by the western troops taking target practice.. Can't quote a source.
Regarding the re-unification of all the pieces of the "water-clock fountain" ---- as I mentioned in the original post--- my memory is that I had seen an account which indicated several of the heads had been destroyed-- and I think it was by gunfire by the western troops taking target practice.. Can't quote a source.
Custom Search
Recent Posts
- Chinese New Year Lanterns
- Is Kim Jong Un Dead? Assassination Rumors Hit the Internet
- Help Fight Stereoptypes With Asian Crew Clothing
- Deftones’ Chi Cheng Wakes Up From His 3-Year Coma
- SXSW 2012 Has a Nice Handful of Asian Movies
- Woman In China Gives Birth To 15 Lb Baby
- Naruto & Dragonball Now Available On Barnes & Noble Nook
Recent Comments
- : @whereisthelove @Biffer It's not that I'm turning it into a tirade against Blacks but folks seem to be on a lovely Kumbaya trip thinking that... – What if Jeremy Lin Weren't Asian?
- : @PhucDat You've obviously never heard of the "no asians, no fats, no fems" that's commonly referenced in the gay community. It's very frustrating and makes... – Asian Men Have The Highest Salary
- : @Biffer I find it interesting how you've managed to transform this great story into launching an attack against african- americans. It's quite offensive for you,as... – What if Jeremy Lin Weren't Asian?
- : This whole article was kinda frustrating and ridiculous. "And maybe this will help put a little more desirability for Asian males in the dating pool."... – Asian Men Have The Highest Salary
- : while it was pretty hilarious, it's a little disconcerting that most of the people who responded didn't use spellcheck. – What I Learned From Posting A Dragon Lady Personal Ad
APA Events
Feb 16: Adam WarRock and Kirby Krackle: West Cost Tour Dates!!!
Feb 16: (New York, NY) Amar Chitra Katha: Monica Ferrell, Chitra Ganesh, Keshni Kashyap, and Himanshu “Heems” Suri of Das Racist
Feb 17: (Los Angeles, CA) All My Sons
Feb 18: (Stanford, CA) Stanford’s 16th Listen to the Silence Conference- Feb 18: (San Francisco, CA) NAAAP-SF Lunar New Year Gala 2012
Feb 25: (Los Angeles, CA) Past Present I Future Imperatives: Queer Space Time
Mar 3: (New York, NY) Vong Pak’s ‘Electric Shaman’ Concert
Apr 30: (Sacramento, CA) California Asian Pacific Islander Policy Summit 2012: iAdvocate
Staff and Contributors
- Editors
- Ernie Hsiung - Founder, Editor-in-Chief
- Moye Ishimoto - Co-Editor, Editorial
- Joz Wang - Co-Editor, PR & APA Outreach
