'Slithering into Spring' celebrates Year of the Snake at Shanghai Museum

In Chinese culture, the snake is known as the "little dragon," which is also one of the original symbols of the dragon totems.

The "Slithering into Spring — A Celebration of the Year of the Snake" exhibition is on at Shanghai Museum through March 2.

The exhibition boasts 13 groups of Chinese and foreign cultural relics from Yunnan Lijiashan Bronze Museum, Hubei Provincial Museum and the museum's own collection.

The show tries to give visitors an insight into the snake legend in Chinese history.

Snakes actually were held in awe and deified by our ancestors for several unique traits: on land and through water it slithers without legs. After ecdysis or brumation it continually achieves "rebirth."

Recorded in the oracle bone inscriptions and classic texts like the "Classic of Mountains and Rivers" or depicted on bronzewares and stone reliefs, the mythological snakes permeated early Chinese civilization.

"The divine creators with snake bodies symbolize our ancestors' hope for enduring progeny," said Chu Xiaobo, director of Shanghai Museum. "The creature has also been immortalized through legendary figures like the northern water god Xuanwu and the gentle and affectionate Lady White. Today, it is still associated with auspiciousness and prosperity in folk customs."

However, snake also refers to evil and venom, reflected in the Midgard Serpent Jormungandr in the Norse myth and in the serpent that tempted humanity in Christian teachings.

Such duality encompasses both good and evil.

One of the highlights of the exhibition is a "Rubbing of Stone Relief with Fuxi and Nüwa Holding the Sun and the Moon." The stone is from the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220). The rubbing was donated by Xu Senyu's family to Shanghai Museum in 1981.

Another interesting piece is "Meshed Bronzeware with Snake-shaped Design" from the Western Han Dynasty (206 BCE–8 CE). This vessel features a round net pocket with a snake running through. The snake with bulging eyes holds up its head high, and its mouth is wide open. The function of this vessel is still not clear.

If you go:

Dates: 9am-5pm, through March 2 (closed on Mondays)

Address: 201 People's Avenue

Admission: Booking can be made through the museum's WeChat mini program: 上海博物馆参观预约 and its WeChat official account: 上海博物馆