SHANGHAI - Some six thousand years ago, as the first light of civilization illuminated the land of China, an ancient people worshipped the heavens and earth with piety and carved jade with reverence in the Liao River basin. Amidst the continuous collision and integration of cultures, they created the Hongshan model, distinct from the civilizations found in the basins of the Yellow and Yangtze rivers.

The Hongshan Culture, a brilliant pearl of the Neolithic Age in northern China, originated around 6,500 years ago and reached the ancient state phase around 5,800 years ago. Its advanced sacrificial and ritual system reflects the path and characteristics of the origin of Chinese civilization, serving as the source of Chinese rites and ceremonies. The coiled jade dragons established the spiritual core of "dragon veneration and jade appreciation", tracing the roots of the Chinese nation's self-consciousness as "descendants of the dragon". The famous material symbols of Hongshan, such as "altars, temples, and burial mounds" and "dragon- and phoenix-shaped jade artifacts", expanded and extended the culture's influence from north to south and from east to west. With a wisdom of coexistence with nature and an open attitude towards communication, they facilitated exchanges and adoptions among regional cultures, forming a unique cultural memory in the history of the Chinese nation – all beyond our imagination.

Under the vast firmament, China stands as a great and gloriousnation. As the fourth in the Shanghai Museum's "The Essence of China" series of archaeological exhibitions, "Legends of Dragon: The Ancient Civilization of Hongshan Culture" interprets the Hongshan Culture's unique path of developing a civilization, characterized by unified beliefs and the initial formation of rites and ceremonies. Through the most important achievements and latest discoveries of a century of Hongshan archaeology, the show provides solid evidence for the over 5,000-year history of Chinese civilization and eloquently answers the ultimate question: What is the essence of China?

The dragon was born by the Liao River, the sun rises behind the Red Mountain, and the dawn shines over China!

C-shaped Jade Dragon, Hongshan Culture (ca. 6,500-5,000 BP). Height 25.7 cm, Greatest width 21.8 cm, Length of arc 64.3 cm, Diameter 1.9-3 cm © The Palace Museum.

Jade Dragon in the Shape of Jue (slit ring), Hongshan Culture (ca. 6,500-5,000 BP). Unearthed from Tomb No. 4, Stone Mound No. 1, Locus No. 2, Niuheliang Site, Jianping, Liaoning in 1984 (N2Z1M4:2). Overall height 10.3 cm, Width 7.8 cm, Thickness 3.3 cm. © Liaoning Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology.

Stone Dragon in the Shape of Jue (slit ring), Culture of the Lower Level of Zuojiashan (ca. 7,000-6,000 BP). Unearthed from the Zuojiashan Sitein 1985. Length 4.1 cm, Width 3.9 cm, Thickness 1.4 cm, Diameter of bigger hole 1.0 cm. © National Museum of China.

Cylindrical Painted Pottery Jar, Hongshan Culture (ca. 6,500-5,000 BP). Unearthed from Bayantala Sum, ArHorqin Banner, Inner Mongolia in 1974. Overall height 35.2 cm, Diameter of rim 27.0 cm, Diameter of belly 24.0 cm, Diameter of base 12.2 cm. © ArHorqin Banner Museum.

Statue of a Wizard, Hongshan Culture (ca. 6,500-5,000 BP). Unearthed from the Narisitai Site, Bairin Right Banner, Inner Mongolia in 1982. Height 19.1 cm, Width 6.2 cm, Thickness 5.0 cm. © Bairin Right Banner Museum.

Jade Soft-shelled Turtles, Hongshan Culture (ca. 6,500-5,000 BP). Unearthed from Tomb No.1, Stone Mound No.1, Locus No.5, Niuheliang Site, Lingyuan, Liaoningin 1987. Length 9.0 cm, Width 7.7 cm, Thickness 1.9 cm. Length 9.4 cm, Width 8.5 cm, Thickness 2.0 cm. © Liaoning Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology.

Interconnected Triple Jade Bi (disc), Hongshan Culture (ca. 6,500-5,000 BP). Unearthed from Stone Mound No.1, Zhengjiagou Site, Xuanhua, Hebei in 2022 © Xuanhua District Administration of Cultural Relics, Zhangjiakou.

Jade Silkworm, Hongshan Culture (ca. 6,500-5,000 BP). Unearthed from the Narisitai Site, Bairin Right Banner, Inner Mongolia in 1982. Length 7.8 cm, Width 3.4 cm, Thickness 2.5 cm. © Bairin Right Banner Museum

Pottery zun vessel with deer motifs, Zhaobaogou culture, from the collection of Inner Mongolia Museum. © Shanghai Museum

Jade phoenix, Hongshan culture, from the collection of Liaoning Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology. © Shanghai Museum.