Chinese around the world ring in the new zodiac year on Friday. The Year of Rat will start on Saturday, unleashing a new 12-year zodiac circle, with the animal sign attributed to the traits of being quick-minded, resourceful and versatile.
Preluding the Chinese Lunar New Year, the Shanghai Museum is holding an exhibition featuring "The Year of Rat: Good Harvest," showing the audience relics with images of the zodiac sign of the rat.
A 16.3-cm high bronze and gold-plated Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) statue of the God of Wealth holds a rat in his hand. Another Qing Dynasty jade carving is a statue of a "mouse scholar" wearing a long robe with wide sleeves and lapels, holding scriptures.
Experts at the museum said the rat comes first in the 12 zodiac animal signs. In China's folk arts, people often combine the images of rats with oil lamps, melons, cereal seeds and fruits, embodying the auspicious meaning of prosperity and abundance.
BEST TIME FOR CULTURAL REVIVAL
Days ahead of the Lunar New Year, red lanterns have been hoisted and festive activities with a variety of local characteristics and customs held every day since Jan. 17, which was the Kitchen God Festival, dubbed as the Little New Year on the Chinese lunar calendar, when Chinese start to make preparations for the Spring Festival.
"In the week ahead of the Spring Festival, intangible cultural heritage artists have been busy holding various performance after a big feast of dumplings was held for 1,000 people in our village on Jan. 17," said Shen Kebin, a resident in Shenjiahe Village, Guyuan City of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.
More than 10 intangible cultural heritage items such as paper cutting, embroidery, Qin opera, painting and shadow puppets have been held every day in the village over this week, which has won the title of an "intangible cultural heritage village" for its preservation of the cultural heritage.
Nearly half of the village's population of 300 are craftsmen and inheritors of certain cultural heritages.
Shen is a veteran painter in the village. His family exhibition with over 400 folk art exhibits attracted 2,000 visitors to the festival last year.
"We preserve traditional cultural items and customs. People come to our village to share the festival atmosphere and learn the cultural folk traditions," said the 65-year-old artist.
Shen's family made festival preparations with extra efforts this year, as the Year of Rat is his son's zodiac year of birth.
"I hope that the zodiac sign brings him countless good luck this year, as the pronunciation of rat sounds similar to the word 'counting' in Chinese," said Shen, smiling from ear to ear.
Over the week, over 160 of Shen's fellow villagers held public performances from dragon and lion dances to puppet shows and the craftsmanship of making clay sculptures and paper cuttings. Many of the activities have the zodiac animal sign of rat as the cultural theme.
"This year, the number of villagers voluntarily participating in the activities is more than twice as many as in previous years. As traditional culture elements are appreciated by more and more people, we find a way to sustain and carry forward these folk arts," Shen said.