INTRODUCTION

The upcoming Chinese New Year is the Year of the Rabbit. The adorable and lively rabbit is a treasured emblem of fertility, longevity, and prosperity. To be precise, in ancient China, there existed only one genus of the Leporidae family—the Lepus, often referred to as hare. Given its large number and wide distribution, the hare was used as a food source. Several classic texts discussed the concepts of hare net traps and hare recipes, such as the Book of Songs (Shijing) and the Book of Rites (Liji). The hare was also served as an animal sacrifice for ancestral temples.

Hares have exceptionally rich symbolic meanings. It is a born runner and enjoys unfettered freedom. Its great athleticism, therefore, is often captured in the silk paintings, pictorial stones and murals. Even the legendary steeds were named ‘Flying Hare’ and ‘Red Hare’. Incorporated into the tenets of Taoism and Buddhism and legends of Queen Mother of the West and Chang’e the Goddess of the moon, the hare has also been recognised as the messenger of the heavenly palace and the maker of the immortality elixir. The term ‘precious hare’ (Yutu) has subsequently become an alternative name for the moon.

“With all great verses extolling the hare, which could tell what it truly thinks?” The celebrated literary giants Han Yu and Ouyang Xiu in the Tang and Song dynasties metaphorically linked the hare to the writing brush, their life trajectories, and their literary pursuits. We would like to follow the trend to eulogise this little creature by exhibiting seven pieces of hare-related artworks, demonstrating people’s long-lasting observations and fondness of it. We are displaying collections from not only the Shanghai Museum, but also from the Shanxi Museum and the Quzhou museum. Interestingly, the crystal hare figurine was unearthed from the underground relic-chamber of the Yuanying Pagoda in Shanghai. We sincerely hope these lifelike ‘hare spirits’ can inject energy and life into the new year!

Director of the Shanghai Museum

CHU Xiaobo